Supreme Court Stays DVAC Probe into Assets of Officials in Sterlite Firing Case
On Friday, the Supreme Court issued a stay on the Tamil Nadu Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) investigation into the assets of civil servants involved in the 2018 Sterlite copper plant police firing incident. This decision follows the Madras High Court’s recent directive for the DVAC to probe potential financial gains by officials who were stationed in Thoothukudi during the controversial incident.
The 2018 police firing at the Sterlite plant, owned by Vedanta, resulted in the deaths of 13 unarmed protesters who were demanding the plant’s closure due to environmental concerns. The Madras High Court had previously ordered the DVAC investigation based on suspicions that the firing might have been orchestrated to advance the interests of an industrialist, and that involved officials might have benefited financially from this agenda.
Henri Tiphagne, an activist, had approached the Madras High Court to continue the NHRC probe into the incident after the Commission closed its suo motu inquiry. The court’s recent order implied that the police action was pre-determined and necessitated an investigation into the officers’ assets to determine if they had received any monetary benefits.
The Supreme Court has now stayed this investigation, while seeking responses from the Tamil Nadu government and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal represented the implicated Tamil Nadu officials in the Supreme Court.
Earlier this year, in February, the Supreme Court also dismissed Vedanta’s plea to reopen the Sterlite copper smelter plant.
(With inputs from agency)
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