2018 firing on anti-sterile protesters in Tuticorin was pre-planned: Madaras High Court

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

Madras High Court on Monday said that the firing against anti-sterile protesters in Tuticorin in 2018 was predetermined, reported TOI. “One particular industrialist wanted to teach the protesters a lesson and the authorities facilitated it,” said the court.
The HC ordered Tamil Nadu’s Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption to scrutinise the assets of all officers, including IPS and IAS officers, who were serving in Tuticorin from 2016 to 2020.

The HC accused CBI of not investigating the matter in a fair manner and said that it showed the inefficiency of the agency.
“How can the CBI file a report absolving the allegations against the authorities who were indicted by the Justice Aruna Jagadeesan Commission,” a division bench of Justice SS Sundar and Justice N Senthil Kumar asked.

The HC also ordered DVAC to scrutinise the assets of all officers in Tuticorin and file a preliminary report in two weeks. “Assets not just in their name but also in the names of their wives and close relatives are to be collected and produced before this court. From two years prior to the incident and two years after,” the judges said.

Madras HC passed the orders on a plea moved by activist Henri Tiphagne seeking to reopen the probe closed by National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) into the incident. According to the petitioner, NHRC’s decision to close its suo motu probe into the incident was arbitrary.