In the 2017 robbery-murder case at former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa’s summer retreat, Kodnad Estate, the Madras High Court on Friday allowed the accused to summon former AIADMK general secretary VK Sasikala and current party general secretary Edappadi. K Palaniswami is a defense witness.
Justice P Velmurugan delivered the verdict, allowing the revision petition filed by the accused, D Deepu, MS Satisan and A Santosh Sami, against an earlier sessions court judgment which had stayed their petition.
Kodnad Estate was the scene of a sensational crime on April 23, 2017, when a group of men allegedly barged in, killed a security guard and fled with valuables. The case has been embroiled in controversy in Tamil Nadu with allegations of a politically influenced investigation during the tenure of the ruling party AIADMK.
Justice Velmurugan questioned the propriety of the 2021 Sessions Court order that had refused to summon Palaniswami, the then Chief Minister, on grounds of possible abuse of judicial process.
The petitioners argued that the examination of prominent persons including Palaniswami and Sasikala was crucial to uncover the truth.
Justice Velmurugan asked during the hearing that since he was no longer the chief minister, “why can’t EPS be asked as a witness in the Kodnad case?”
The accused also tried to summon late Jayalalithaa’s close aide Sasikala. Sasikala’s relatives VN Sudhakaran and J Ilavrasi, former Nilgiris collector P Shankar and Superintendent of Police Murali Rambha, among others associated with the management and security of the property, were among those who wanted to be summoned.
The case has been shrouded in mystery following the death of several people linked to it, including C Kanagaraj, Jayalalithaa’s former driver and the alleged mastermind of the heist. He died in a road accident a few days after the robbery. Similarly, the wife and daughter of another accused, KV Sion, also died in separate accidents, raising the suspicion of corruption. Dinesh Kumar, the computer operator of the estate, was also found dead in his house in Kotagiri.
In September 2017, the charge sheet in the case stated that a gang of 11 persons had hatched a conspiracy to rob the house. According to the charge sheet, the armed gang led by Kanagaraj entered the house and tied up the security guard Krishna Thapa. Two of the accused were providing security to Thapa while others went to another gate and attacked and killed another security guard, Om Bahadur.
In January 2019, the case again made national headlines when the accused held a press conference at the Delhi Press Club, alleging that Kangaraj was behind the robbery. Sayan claimed that Kanagaraj had told him that he had committed the robbery on the orders of the then CM Palaniswami to loot cash bundles and land documents worth crores of rupees. But the police said that only two wrist watches and a crystal doll were missing after the robbery.
The SIT is investigating the incident.