The Madras High Court on Friday came down heavily on Tamil Nadu government authorities and said their inaction led to such a tragic incident. The Court directed the state government to file a report on actions taken against illicit liquor for the past one year on June 26.
Hearing a plea by AIADMK, demanding a CBI probe in the issue, the Court observed the issue cannot be taken lightly and lack of action by the government, after a similar incident in 2023 led to the tragic Kallakuruchi incident. The Court said, “This is not an issue like others. This is about the life of individuals that have been affected due to the inaction of officers. We want to know. You have to answer. You have to file a report,” Live Law reported.
Referring to certain reports on YouTube news channels, the Court said there were reports alleging illicit liquor was easily available in Kalvarayan Hills and a few individuals were also named in the reports. “Before this incident happened, there were also news reports saying how illicit arrack was easily made available. I also happened to see a YouTube interview where specific allegations were made and persons making these illicit liquor were named,” the bench observed. “You can't sweep these under the carpet. These are the allegations going around in the media, in newspapers and YouTube channels,” it added.
The petitioners demanded a CBI probe in the case as the methanol used for making the spurious liquor was seized from Puducherry. The Court sought details of actions taken by the state government in connection with Kallakuruchi hooch tragedy and steps taken to prevent these incidents during the past one year. The bench also sought details of officers suspended, transferred anddetails of de-addiction centres.