Prime accused, Vinay Kumar Sethi alias Tinku Sethi, is alleged kingpin of oil adulteration racket
Dimapur, May 15 (EMN): In a fresh development, the Supreme Court of India has been requested to order a CBI investigation into the murder of Sailash Sethi in Dimapur on April 23, 1997. What has caught attention, besides the gruesome murder of a businessman, here is the person accused of said murder.
For years it has been alleged that Sailash Sethi was murdered by his business partner and “family member”, Vinay Kumar Sethi alias Tinku Sethi – who is also the alleged kingpin of the oil adulteration racket in Nagaland exposed last year by ACAUT.
The petition – made available to the press on Monday -was signed by one Sushil Kumar from Pune, Maharashtra. “It may be stated that after the murder, an FIR was filed at the West Police Dimapur, Nagaland which was registered on 23.03.97 as West Police station case no. 70/97 under Section, 302 IPC. The case was endorsed to SI, CD Borah for causing investigation and on completion of inquest report and post mortem report the dead body was handed over to the relatives.
“In the meanwhile Mr Sushil Kumar file PIL (present petitioner) before the Gauhati High Court Kohima bench for a direction to the Superintendent of Police Dimapur to apprehend the culprit and punish as per law. Accordingly on 09.07.97 the Hon’ble High Court directed the Superintendent of police to register a case if not done and investigate in accordance with law”, it stated.
The police, it recounted, could not get any material evidence in the case in the course of investigation and thus returned to the court with West P.S., F.R No. 97/97 DT. 24.10.97. “On the basis of the report the Hon’ble Judicial Magistrate 1st Class Court closed the case on 28.10.97.
“It may be stated that the Judicial Magistrate 1st Class has no jurisdiction as it being u/s 302 of IPC. The Addl Public Prosecutor had also on 28.08.08 written for re-investigation of the case referring to the Hon’ble High Courts order.”
In 2001, the family members of the deceased had filed a petition at the High Court challenging the Magistrate 1st Class order for closing the case and prayed for fresh probe into said case, it stated. Accordingly, the High Court had on 18.08.05 quashed the order of 28.10.97 passed by the Magistrate 1st class and directed fresh investigation into the case.
“The order of the Hon’ble High Court was communicated by the government advocate on 22.08.05 to the DGP Nagaland and Supdt Police Dimapur but inspite of the Hon’ble High Courts order passed on 18.08.05, the police did not take up the case. It was only after a lapse of two years of the Court’s direction, the Police department constituted SIT on 3rd March 2007 consisting of five members under the supervision of SDPO (N).
“The SIT in their report stated that the killing of Sailesh Sethi indicated involvement of family members namely Pawan Kumar and his son Vinay Kumer Sethi @ Tinku in the plot of murder. The report stated that the main culprit who planned to kill Sailesh Kumar was Vinay Kumer Sethi @ Tinku,” the statement read.
it however noted that nothing has happened ‘till date due to his (Tinku’s) money power which he has been earning illegally through all the essential goods under the Civil Supply department of the government of Nagaland , being the sole contractor of the department under various government for the last more than two decades uninterrupted’.
According to the petition, due to ‘direct political involvement in the higher-ups’, the ‘prime suspect could not be laid hands (arrested) till date by the state government in spite of sufficient evidence.’
“The corruption in the food and supplies department in Nagaland has gone to such extent that the essential utilities do not reach the needy villagers in Nagaland and it is being siphoned off without reaching the state by Vinay Kumer Sethi @ Tinku in connivance with state officials.
“This has been highlighted by an NGO spearheading the cause of the Nagas popularly known as ACAUT. This issue was published on December 29th 2016. The governor after seeing the Rice scam exposed by ACAUT against the government has demanded for a CBI probe into the PDS Rice scam but till date in spite of prima facie evidence no action has been taken against Vinay Kumer Sethi @ Tinku who is the sole contractor of the essential commodities of Nagaland”, it stated.
According to the petition, it was an open secret that the accused person has amassed ‘huge amount through misuse of essentials commodities for the state of Nagaland and now established several factories outside Nagaland and also invested money real estate which is in the knowledge of the public’.
“Hence through money power his murder case has been kept in cool storage and now settled in Kolkata where he operates the business through his agents. This has led to agony in the family of the deceased since justice has been denied to them and hence demands justice. In view of the above facts, I sincerely request your authority to give direction to the CBI to enquire into the above said murder case and book the culprit and bring him to justice.”
