The mother of a 17-year-old girl, who was among the 13 killed in the 2018 police firing during anti-Sterlite protest in Thoothukudi, has approached the Madras High Court seeking registration of a murder case against all police as well as revenue officials.
The public interest litigation petition filed by J. Vanitha (50), mother of J. Snowlin, was listed for admission before the first Division Bench of Chief Justice Sanjay V. Gangapurwala and Justice D. Bharatha Chakravarthy on Friday but got adjourned to February 21.
The judges adjourned the case since the petitioner’s counsel sought time to argue the matter with additional materials to support her case. The petitioner had insisted that the trial against the officials must also be expedited and completed within six months.
She said that the criminal prosecution must be initiated in addition to the departmental inquiry which must culminate in their dismissal from service. The petitioner also insisted on enhancing the compensation to the families of the deceased to Rs.1 crore.
The litigant pointed out that Justice Aruna Jagadeesan Commission of Inquiry, which probed into the firing incident, too had recommended enhancement of compensation to Rs.50 lakh from Rs.20 lakh that was already paid to the families of the deceased.
Similarly, the petitioner wanted the compensation for the injured to be increased from Rs.5 lakh to Rs.10 lakh. She further sought a direction to the State government to sanction Rs.20 lakh for the construction of a memorial for the deceased in the vicinity of the firing site.
