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2004 Kumbakonam School Tragedy: SC asks Victims’ Lawyer to Deposit Rs. 50 Lakh before Madras HC
Recently, the Supreme Court has ordained a lawyer to advance the payment of Rs 50 lakh as a stipulation to discontinue probe against him over accusations that he deceived the victims of the 2004 school fire catastrophe in Tamil Nadu’s Kumbakonam. A bench comprising of Justice Kurian Joseph and Justice Mohan M Shantanagoudar instructed advocate S Tamilarasan to deposit the money in the Madras High Court in a period of three weeks. A fatal conflagration at Sri Krishna School in Kumbakonam had resulted into the loss of the lives of 94 students and 18 students endured burn abrasions on July 16, 2004. Upon the instruction from the court, the government had apportioned reimbursement to family members of the victims. But despite the court granted the compensation many victims filed the petitions and moved in the High Court in March this year in which the families asserted that Tamilarasan, who was their lawyer, unlawfully deflected the compensation money to bank accounts belonging to him or his relatives.
The petitions urged to take action against Tamilarasan for the treachery which he has purportedly accomplished against his clients along with an order to reimburse the amount.
Moreover, the High Court instructed the Bar Council of Tamil Nadu to take congruous action against Tamilarasan and also shut out him from pursuing his career as an advocate till such time. During the probe it emanated that in the process of deceiving his clients more than Rs. 2 crores were entrusted to the names of Tamilarasan and his family members. The Madras High Court after observing the nature of the issue embroiled and contemplating the exigency or profundity of the offence committed by S Tamilarasan, directed the matter to be leaded by the CBCID so that the proper investigation can take place. It further enjoined the CBCID to affix the bank accounts and properties of the advocate, his wife and other relatives, in whose accounts the money had been supposedly transmitted in order to recover the compensation amount.
