The Madras High Court bench today suggested to Tamil Nadu government to strengthen the CB-CID wing of police and modernise it with the latest gadgets and ensure technically sound persons could handle them.
Justice S Nagamuthu gave the direction after CB-CID conveyed to it that they had closed as unsolved a 10-year-old case relating to the murder of a couple–a retired Income Tax officer and his wife–in Virudhunagar town.
“When people seek a CB-CID probe imposing full faith in the organisation, police cannot close the probe. There are many efficient officers in CB-CID wing and they are capable of detecting any crime,” the Judge said.
CB-CID Superintendent of Police Anbu, who appeared in the court today, as per its earlier direction, said they had closed 13 cases pending for more than five years.
Investigation was in progress in three and in eight others, the accused had been arrested. The murder of the couple on April 6, 2005 was one such case.
The SP expressed willingness to reopen it and conduct a reinvestigation into the murder of the couple who were killed in their sleep. The case was transferred to CB-CID after one year as local police could not crack it.
The judge said it was unfortunate that police were not able to crack the murder. The case was transferred to CB-CID as local police did not do a proper job, he said, adding the agency should live upto the faith people repose in it.
The petitioner, Olivia, daughter of the couple, had sought transfer of the case to CBI.
The judge said it was not good for Tamil Nadu police to transfer each and every case.
CB-CID was not inferior to CBI in any way. The government should take steps to strengthen it to enable it crack tough cases. They should be provided with more personnel, more equipment and be imparted training.
As the SP had sought time, the court was willing to do for the case to be reopened and investigated.
Meanwhile, the government should grant Rs two lakh each to the petitioner and her brother, who is not well, from the victims’ compensation fund, it said.
The case had been posted to July this year.
