Why is Tamil Nadu govt not transferring Kodanad case to CBI, asks EPS

Chennai: Leader of opposition in Tamil Nadu assembly Edappadi Palaniswami (EPS) on Wednesday asked why the state government is not handing over the probe into the 2017 Kodanad heist-cum-murder case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and accused the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) of trying to frame him.

His remarks came even as the police continue to probe the case and his colleague-turned-foe O Panneerselvam (OPS) is planning to move the Madras high court on the matter.

“There are so many deaths which happen when one is chief minister. Even in the DMK regime so many people have died. If you want to investigate the current chief minister for it, will he come for the inquiry?” EPS asked reporters in Madurai airport.

EPS was responding to an article published in DMK’s mouthpiece Murasoli on August 30. The piece stated that EPS was nervous at the mere mention of Kodanad and that he should have been part of the CB-CID inquiry process if he indeed had information to share.

“Why are they speaking only about this one death? Because they are deliberately spreading rumours. I have already filed a case against an individual spreading rumours, which is pending in the high court,” he said. EPS also recalled that during his regime, they had arrested those involved in the case, which went to the trial stage. “It was the DMK’s advocates who represented the accused at that time and brought them out on bail,” said EPS. “This raises a doubt on the government. Why don’t they direct the case to be investigated by the CBI?”

EPS also said that 90% of the probe into the case was completed when the DMK shifted it from the state police to the CB-CID last September. “How long will it take to complete another 10%?” EPS said. “Since they are unable to pin us on anything, they are scheming against us due to political vendetta.”

During the last hearing on July 11, principal district judge Abdul Khader had ordered the CB-CID to submit a status report on the investigation conducted for the past 10 months. So far they have questioned 158 people. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the CB-CID requested an Ooty court for more time to collect and analyse call details from 19 mobile towers, an official said.

The Kodanad tea estate in Tamil Nadu’s Nilgiris district was late chief minister J Jayalalithaa’s summer retreat and sometimes she even functioned from there while in office. On the night of April 23, 2017, a group of 10 men hacked to death Om Bahadur, a security guard at Kodanad estate. They broke into the bungalow and allegedly looted the place. After police made arrests in the case, the trial began In October 2019 in the Nilgiris (district) sessions court.

The case has been shrouded in mystery as a week after the break-in, on April 28, two of the main accused met with separate road accidents. C Kanagaraj, who was once Jayalalithaa’s driver, died on the spot near Salem. K V Sayan escaped with serious injuries but his wife and daughter died on the spot while they were on their way to Kerala.

The DMK which was in the opposition when the crime happened had then sought the resignation of EPS who took over as chief minister following Jayalalithaa’s death. After the DMK formed the government in May 2021, the police launched fresh investigations into the case. Nilgiris police summoned key accused Sayan who had earlier linked EPS to the crime. Since then EPS has alleged that the DMK schemed to take a ‘secret statement’ from Sayan to frame him.