Suicide abetment case against TN minister's kin: Dalit

The Madras High Court Bench here today directed the Government Advocate to get instructions on a plea that a special public prosecutor be appointed for conducting the trial in the suicide abetment case against the brother of Tamil Nadu Finance Minister O Panneerselvam.
Justice S Vaidhyanathan gave the direction during the hearing of a petition by the father of a Dalit priest, who allegedly committed suicide in 2012 unable to bear the "humiliation" he suffered at the hands of O Raja, brother of Panneerselvam.
The petitioner Subburaj has sought a CBI probe into the death of his son S Nagamuthu, a priest of a temple in Thenkarai in Theni district.

Stating that he was not satisfied with the case being handled by the regular Public Prosecutor as the accused was a politically influential person, the petitioner sought appointment of senior lawyer B Mohan, who has 36 years of experience in criminal law, as the Special PP.
The Judge asked the Government Advocate to get instructions on the plea of the petitioner and posted the matter to January 11 for for further hearing.
The petitioner said he was entitled to engage a senior advocate of his choice being the victim under SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
In his suicide note, Nagamuthu had stated that Raja and others had humiliated him and prevented him from entering the temple and held them responsible for his suicide.

The suicide note was sent for forensic test on the orders of the court and found to have been written by Nagamuthu.