Court sets January 2022 as deadline for CB-CID

The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Monday directed the CB-CID to expedite the probe in Avaniapuram custodial death case.

A Division Bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice M. Duraiswamy directed the CB-CID to complete the probe by the end of January 2022. The State informed the court, which was hearing the case suo motu after the father of the victim withdrew his petition, that the probe was yet to be completed.

The court took up the issue based on a letter written to it by advocate Henri Tiphagne, alleging that the victim’s parents were threatened.

In his petition, P. Muthukaruppan, father of 22-year-old victim M. Balamurugan, alleged that his son sustained injuries in police custody and later died at Government Rajaji Hospital.

However, in an unexpected turn of events, he later decided to withdraw his petition, saying he was convinced that his son’s death was not a case of custodial death.

Mr. Tiphagne said he withdrew the petition as the parents were being coerced not to depose against the police officers said to be involved in the case.

Balamurugan and his accomplices were arrested for their alleged involvement in a kidnap for ransom case.