SC transfers case against Karunanidhi's son to AP

New Delhi, Aug 28 (UNI) The Supreme Court has ordered the transfer of T Kiruttinan murder case, in which M K Azhagiri, son of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, is the main accused, from Madurai in Tamil Nadu to Chitoor in Andhra Pradesh.

A bench comprising Justices Ashok Bhan and V S Sirpurkar ordered the transfer yesterday after hearing senior counsel Arun Jaitley for the petitioner C Suresh Kumar, who is a witness in the case.

Kumar alleged that the accused was being accompanied to the court by the state Cabinet Ministers and the witnesses in the murder case are being intimidated and free and fair trial was not possible under such circumstances.

Senior counsel Abhishekh Manu Singhvi, appearing for Azhagiri, however, contended that false case has been filed against his client due to political rivalry and the witnesses as well as the complainant are AIADMK activists.

The petitioner, seeking the transfer of the case from Madurai to any other court outside Tamil Nadu, cited an incident in which three persons were killed during an attack on newspaper Dinakaran and Sun TV office in Madurai allegedly at the behest of the main accused in the case.

The apex court while transferring the case noted, ''We feel that case should be transferred so that people have faith in the trial.'' The apex court also directed the trial judge to conclude the trial as expeditiously as possible.

UNI