Kodanad murder-heist case: Madras HC refuses to stay reinvestigation

The Madras High court on Friday allowed the police to conduct further investigations into the Kodanad murder and heist case that occurred on April 23 and 24, 2017.

Justice M. Nirmal Kumar of the Madras High court refused to stay police reinvestigation into the case and dismissed a petition filed by a local leader of the AIADMK who is also a witness in the case. The court said that the law does not mandate prior permission from the magistrate to initiate further investigations.

Anubav Ravi, a witness in the case and joint secretary of Amma Peravai in Coimbatore had filed a petition in the high court requesting for a stay into the reinvestigation of the Kodanad murder and heist case.

The petitioner said that the case was investigated properly and that the case was under trial. He also said that the police had not obtained prior permission from the trial court.


Justice Nirmal Kumar said that the filing of charge sheet or the case under trial can be hindrance to conduct further investigation. The judge said, "It is always better to have a fair and impartial trial to arrive at a just decision."

The Advocate General of Tamil Nadu, R. Shanmugasundaram and Public Prosecutor Hassan Mohammed Jinnah had opposed arguments of the petitioner and pointed out the suspicious deaths in the Kodanad murder case.

The Kodanad murder cum heist case occurred on the intervening night of April 23 and 24, 2017. A security guard Om Bahadur, who was standing guard at the Kodanad estate, the summer residence of former Chief Minister J. Jayalalitha, was murdered. Another guard, Krishna Bahadur was also assaulted, but he survived.


Following the murder of Om Bahadur, mysterious incidents occurred when the driver involved in the murder, Kanagaraj also died in an accident. The wife and daughter of the first accused, K.P. Sayan also were killed in a road accident.

The DMK had in the run-up to the Assembly elections promised the people that once it forms the government it would bring out the truth in the Kodanad murder cum heist.-IANS