The Tamil Nadu government submitted a report on 3 July 2024 to the Madras High Court in response to two public interest litigation petitions requesting a CBI investigation. The report addressed the Kallakurichi hooch tragedy of 2024, distinguishing it from previous incidents in Marakkanam and Chithamur in 2023 due to differences in the source and concentration of methanol.
Chief Secretary Shiv Das Meena outlined actions taken since 2021, including raids and arrests related to illicit liquor, and emphasized measures to prevent future incidents. He noted the detention of prohibition offenders and efforts to monitor industrial methanol use. The report also discussed legislative proceedings and detailed the government’s response to the Kallakurichi tragedy, which included medical mobilization and arrests of police officials. The Chief Secretary opposed calls for a CBI probe, citing ongoing police investigations and the examination of numerous witnesses.
In a report presented to Acting Chief Justice R Mahadevan and Mohammed Shaffiq of the first Division Bench, Chief Secretary Shiv Das Meena stated that methanol levels in samples were found to be 99.1% during the 2023 incidents, whereas, in Kallakurichi, they ranged from 8.6% to 29.7%.
The Chief Secretary detailed the actions taken by the State government following the 2023 incidents, highlighting extensive raids conducted statewide against illicit arrack and counterfeit liquor. These efforts resulted in the arrest of 159 individuals in 2023 and an additional 95 by May of the following year. He also outlined measures implemented against prohibition offenses since 2021. To prevent similar incidents in the future, district police teams were equipped with WhatsApp numbers to receive complaints regarding illicit arrack. The Enforcement unit reviewed the actions taken by these teams on a weekly basis in response to complaints.
In addition, rigorous checks were imposed on industrial units using methanol to prevent its unauthorized use in producing arrack. The prohibition enforcement wing intensified raids to eliminate illicit arrack across the State. The Chief Secretary noted that habitual offenders of prohibition laws were being detained under the Goondas Act.
The officer mentioned that intelligence inputs received from the enforcement wing were regularly reviewed at police headquarters on a monthly basis. Additionally, extensive awareness campaigns were being conducted in vulnerable areas because many consumers of illicit arrack were economically disadvantaged and susceptible, he noted.
Chief Secretary Meena explained that a call attention motion introduced by AIADMK MLA M Senthilkumar on 29 March 2023, concerning the sale of counterfeit liquor, was denied by the Speaker. Consequently, neither was the matter debated in the Legislative Assembly nor did government authorities receive any notice about it. He emphasized that while hundreds of call attention motions are submitted to the Assembly Secretariat, discussions are permitted based on the seriousness and accuracy of the information. If rejected, such motions rarely reach the government unless forwarded by the Speaker.
Regarding the Kallakurichi hooch tragedy, which had claimed 65 lives, the Chief Secretary asserted that the entire state machinery responded diligently. He credited the mobilization of adequate medical personnel for saving 145 lives through effective treatment. Within two weeks of the incident, 21 individuals were arrested. Notably, the Superintendent of Police at Kallakurichi at that time, along with several other police officers, had been suspended from duty.
The status report was submitted in response to two public interest litigation petitions seeking a CBI probe, filed by advocates Inbadurai of AIADMK and K Balu of Pattali Makkal Katchi. The Chief Secretary opposed the plea, noting that the State police had already examined 132 witnesses.
After State Public Prosecutor Hasan Mohamed Jinnah presented the status report, Additional Advocate General J Ravindran requested time for Advocate General P S Raman to appear, explaining that the AG’s mother had passed away earlier that day, preventing his attendance in court. The judges accepted the request and adjourned the hearing on the two PIL petitions until 10 July 2024. In the interim, advocate A Mohan Doss filed a separate PIL petition in the High Court seeking a CBI investigation into the Kallakurichi hooch tragedy.
(With inputs from The Hindu)
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