Kumbakonam fire tragedy: HC seeks CB-CID probe into advocate duping kin of victims
Chennai: The Madras high court has ordered CB-CID probe in connection with allegation of advocate S. Tamilarasan duping family members of victims of Kumbakonam fire tragedy with the compensation provided by the government to them.
The advocate Tamilarasan allegedly swindled a part of the compensation provided to the victim’s family members. In the major fire accident that took place at Sri Krishna School in Kumbakonam, 94 students were charred to death and 18 children sustained burns on July 16, 2004. On direction from the court, the government awarded a compensation to the family members of the fire victims.
While passing an interim order on batch of petitions on Friday, the Division Bench comprising Justice R. Mahadevan and Justice V. Pathiban said “Having regard to the nature of the issue involved herein and considering the gravity of the offence committed by Tamilarasan, the matter is directed to be taken by the CB-CID for proper investigation. For such purpose, this court suo motu impleads the CB-CID as a party respondent in this petition.”
On March 16 the bench allowed all the 49 petitions filed by the families of Kumbakonam fire tragedy to implead them who sought for a direction to the Counsel S. Tamilarasan to refund the amount illegally transferred from the compensation amount awarded by the government to them.
According to Marimuthu, one of the petitioners, the state government had deposited a sum of Rs 8, 01,433 on December 21, 2016, to the credit of his SB account. Even before the amount was deposited in his account, the counsel S. Tamilarasan came to Kumbakonam and summoned the parents and obtained two undated cheques and signed blank papers from each of the claimants.Thereafter, to his shock and surprise he received a message from the bank on December 22 saying that Rs 2.30 lakh was deducted from his account.
He rushed to the bank and found to his dismay that the counsel had misused the blank cheques and diverted the money in his name and in the names of his close relatives.
The bench also directed the Bar Council of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry to take appropriate action against Tamilarasan and suspend him from practicing as an advocate till such time.
The matter will be taken up on June 5 for filing report by the CB-CID and TN Bar Council and for passing further orders.
