Chennai: The Madras high court on Friday directed the Egmore police to file a status report on the action taken pursuant to a complaint seeking to trace anti-Sterlite activist Mugilan, who has been allegedly missing since February 15.

A division bench of Justice M Sathyanarayanan and Justice M Nirmal Kumar passed the interim order on the habeas corpus petition moved by human rights activist Henri Tiphange seeking a direction to the Tamil Nadu police to trace and produce the anti-Sterlite activist.

When the plea came up for hearing, the Egmore police informed the high court that Mugilan did not board the Nagercoil express on February 15 as claimed in the petition and that his mobile phone went off the grid at Guduvanchery near Chennai.

Recording the submission, the bench suo motu impleaded the Egmore railway police and directed them to provide copies of the February 15 CCTV footages to Egmore police.

According to the petitioner, Mugilan alias Shanmugam is the coordinator of the Tamil Nadu Environment Protection Movement which is spearheading the anti-Sterlite movement.

"Recently, after his release from prison, Mugilan did meticulous research on the reason behind the May 22 Tuticorin firing in which 13 anti-Sterlite protesters were killed.

On February 15, he conducted a press meet in Chennai based on the evidence and documents gathered by him on the police firing.

During the meet, Mugilan demonstrated the involvement of higher police officers in the firing and named then inspector general for south range Shailesh Kumar Yadav and deputy inspector general of police, Tirunelveli, Kapil Kumar Saratkar on the basis of the evidence available with him, Tiphange said.

Later, he boarded a train from Egmore railway station to Madurai but did not reach the destination.

Alleging that police had failed to act on a missing complaint seeking to investigate his disappearance, Tiphange moved the present plea.