The Crime Branch CID of the State police has chargesheeted former Minister of Agriculture S.S. Krishnamoorthy, his close aide Pooviah and Chief Engineer of Agricultural Engineering Department Senthil Kumar, in connection with the suicide of senior engineer S. Muthukumarasamy in Tirunelveli on February 20.
The agency is mainly relying on statements of some crucial witnesses in the case, including some aides of the former Minister and friends or relatives of the victim.
Muthukumarasamy, Assistant Executive Engineer, committed suicide by jumping before a speeding train in Tirunelveli. The official is suspected to have taken the extreme step as he was under pressure in the matter of recruiting drivers in his department.
While the official wanted the recruitments done based on seniority through the District Employment Office, the established procedure, his colleagues claimed that a “highly influential person” wanted him to consider a separate list of candidates.
After finalising and submitting a list of selected candidates for the post of driver, Muthukumarasamy, apparently under pressure, is said to have approached the Tirunelveli Collector to check whether he could furnish a revised list. However, the Collector was against the move.
It was alleged that the engineer committed suicide fearing departmental action months ahead of his retirement. Soon after the incident, Mr. Krishnamoorthy was dropped from the Cabinet. Besides booking the former Minister under Section 306 (Abetment of suicide) of IPC, provisions under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act were invoked against him.
“We have established evidence to prove that there was a demand for bribe. Statements of several witnesses, including the Tirunelveli Collector, have been recorded in this case,” a senior investigator said. The CB-CID laid the chargesheet in the court of the First Judicial Magistrate in Tirunelveli on Wednesday.
CB-CID mainly relying on statements of some crucial witnesses
