The State government on Thursday told the Madras High Court that it had issued an order on August 1 transferring all idol theft cases from the Idol Wing CID to Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), not to divert the ongoing investigations as alleged by a PIL petitioner, but only to ensure a fair, independent and effective investigation.
In a counter affidavit filed before a Division Bench of Justices, R. Mahadevan and P.D. Audikesavalu, the government said, it had an obligation to ensure fair investigation and it had discharged that duty by transferring the cases to CBI. “The G.O. has neither been issued at the instance of any accused nor to provide undue benefit to any individual,” the counter read. Filed by M. Murugan, Joint Secretary, Home (Strictly Confidential) Department, on behalf of the Home Secretary as well as Director General of Police, the counter affidavit stated that the PIL petitioner ‘Elephant’ G. Rajendran had challenged the G.O. by levelling “baseless allegations and making unwarranted statements which seek to prejudice the mind of the court.”
The petitioner appeared to suggest that every other police officer in the State, but for Inspector General of Police A.G. Ponn Manickavel heading the Idol Wing CID, was in the business of saving criminals. Even assuming that the IGP had gathered enough evidence to nab so called influential persons, it was strange that the petitioner was aware of those details, the Joint Secretary said.
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“It is most respectfully submitted that the State government is deeply concerned about the idol theft cases and has done everything known to law to control the theft of idols and bring the offenders to trial,” the official said and added that one of the reasons for the transfer was the need to conduct investigations in different parts of the country.
After taking the counter affidavit submitted by Additional Advocate General P.H. Arvindh Pandian on file, the judges adjourned further hearing on the case by a week. In the meantime, an association of Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department officers filed an impleading petition in support of the CBI probe.
The judges instructed the petitioner to file a response to the impleading petition too.
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