HC allows 3 accused to examine EPS, Sasikala

The Madras high court on Friday allowed a plea from three accused in the 2017 Kodanad Estate heist-murder case to summon former chief minister and AIADMK general secretary Edappadi Palaniswami and expelled leader VK Sasikala as defence witnesses.

Justice P Velmurugan passed the orders based on a criminal revision petition filed by three accused in the case against an order from 2021 by the principal sessions court in Nilgiris district. The lower court had rejected the plea of the accused to summon nine people including EPS and Sasikala and seven to be examined as defence witnesses. The lower allowed the examination only of one of the nine, Natarajan, the manager of the Kodanad estate belonging to late chief minister J Jayalalithaa.

The high court on Friday allowed the examination of all the remaining witnesses besides EPS and Sasikala based on the revision plea of the three accused - A Santosh Same, D Dheebu, MS Satheesan.

The judge said: “The petitioners have requested to examine Mr Edappadi K Palaniswami, which they believe is essential to uncovering the truth. The petitioner further contends that the incident occurred at the bungalow of the former Chief Minister, Selvi J Jayalalithaa.”

“During her visits to Kodanad, Edappadi K Palaniswami, who was serving as a Minister, is likely to have accompanied her. Therefore, he may be familiar with the bungalow. This Court finds the reasons stated by the learned counsel to be reliable. Considering these facts, and in the interest of justice in order to conduct a fair trial, this Court finds that the petitioners’ request cannot be dismissed as vexatious,” the judge said.

EPS has not been interrogated in the case so far and has often said that the ruling DMK is attempting to frame him. The Kodanad tea estate in Tamil Nadu’s Nilgiris district was 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. A week after the break-in, on April 28, two of the main accused met with separate road accidents– C Kanagaraj, Jayalalithaa ‘s driver, died on the spot near Salem and K V Sayan escaped with serious injuries but his wife and daughter died on the spot while they were on their way to Kerala.

With PTI inputs