Chennai, Sep 24 The Madras High Court on Wednesday handed over the probe into the murder of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) State president K. Armstrong to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), citing lapses in the probe by the Greater Chennai City Police.
Justice P. Velmurugan delivered the order while allowing a petition filed by Armstrong’s brother, K. Immanuvel, who sought a CBI probe on the grounds that the local police had failed to conduct a fair investigation.
Armstrong was brutally hacked to death by an armed gang in Perambur on July 5, 2024.
During earlier hearings, the judge had pulled up the city police for not conducting an identification parade despite the presence of several eyewitnesses.
“Most criminal cases end in acquittal due to poor investigation. This case is a classic example,” he observed, rejecting the police contention that CCTV footage and media publication of accused photos made the parade unnecessary.
“Was the media the eyewitness to the crime?” he asked. According to the prosecution, Armstrong was murdered in the presence of his brother, K. Veeramani, who sustained stab injuries while attempting to shield him, along with other associates. Veeramani had explicitly stated that he could identify the assailants, yet no parade was held.
The city police, in their counter affidavit, claimed they had carried out a professional investigation through a Special Investigation Team led by a Joint Commissioner of Police and comprising 80 personnel. They said the murder was linked to gang rivalry and revenge for the 2023 killing of ‘Arcot’ Suresh.
A 7,087-page charge sheet was filed against 30 accused, including family members and associates of Suresh. The police named convict Nagendran, already lodged in Vellore Central Prison, as the prime accused.
They added that two accused advocates, Shambhava Senthil and ‘Mottai’ Krishnan, remained absconding, while Red Corner Notices had been issued to trace Senthil abroad. The SIT informed the court that weapons, country-made bombs, vehicles, Rs 63.13 lakh in cash, and even a Zomato delivery uniform used for disguise were seized during the investigation.
They also invoked the Goondas Act against the accused. Despite these measures, the court held that the lapses, particularly the failure to conduct an identification parade, undermined the investigation.
Relying on Supreme Court precedent, Justice Velmurugan concluded that the case merited transfer to the CBI “to cull out the truth.”
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