Slain BSP Leader Armstrong's Wife Seeks Transfer Of Her CBI Probe Plea From Madras High Court To Supreme Court

Wife of BSP leader and prominent Dalit activist K Armstrong, who died following an attack by armed assailants in 2024, has approached the Supreme Court seeking transfer from Madras High Court of her petition praying for CBI probe in her husband's murder case.

The transfer is sought on the ground that similar issue (that is, transfer of investigation to CBI) is pending before the Supreme Court in the State's appeal against the High Court order transferring probe to CBI. Therefore, the High Court cannot pass any orders in the petitioner's case.

The matter was listed today before a bench of Justices JK Maheshwari and Atul S Chandurkar, which tagged it with the State's plea against transfer of investigation to the CBI. The cases are next likely to be listed on January 13.

To recap, Armstrong was hacked to death on July 5, 2024, outside his residence in Perambur, Chennai, by a group of armed assailants.

On September 24, 2025, a Single Bench of the High Court quashed the chargesheet filed by state police and transferred investigation of the case to CBI. The order was passed in a petition filed by Armstrong's brother, K Immanuvel, who sought a CBI probe, alleging that there were major shortcomings in the investigation being carried out by the state police. The High Court held that there were procedural lapses in the investigation and material contradictions in the chargesheet.

Armstrong's wife Porkodi also filed a separate petition in the High Court questioning the State Police investigation and seeking de-novo investigation by an independent agency. She sought transfer of the probe to CBI, monitoring of the same by the High Court as well as witness protection.

Aggrieved by the High Court order, the State preferred a special leave petition. In October, a bench led by Justice Maheshwari stayed the High Court order to the extent that it quashed the state police chargesheet. That is, the Court did not halt at the time the direction for transfer of investigation to CBI.

Later, in November, the top Court modified its order and stayed the direction for transfer of the investigation to CBI, noting that the State did not ask for stay on CBI investigation on the earlier date.

In the present plea, Armstrong's wife claims that her stand in the case is vital but the state has not properly investigated the inputs provided by her. She counters the State's assertion that not a "shred of evidence" was found against one Selvaperunthagai (Armstrong's political rival), highlighting that as per State's own claim, no investigation was conducted into Selvaperunthagai's background, call records or movements.

The petition further reiterates the "lapses" in the state police investigation pointed out before the High Court. The same include,

- Non-investigation into political rivalry of Armstrong (including that with Selvaperunthagai), who was an activist who helped students in reformation;

- Non-sending of accused persons' mobile phones for forensic examination to extract details from telegram, Whatsapp and other sources of communication with the absconding accused;

- Non-examination of police officers who accompanied accused No.1/Nagendran and documents related to the same;

- Interview of high police official even before the first arrest in the case was made;

- After encounter of accused No.8, no fresh team for investigation was constituted by the police;

- Money recovered from absconding accused not traced back and attempts not made to secure presence of absconding accused No.2, who has links with the ruling party;

- Investigating agency has produced certain confidential documents to the accused and attempted to secure many political persons by not securing accused No.2.

Appearance: Advocates Rahul Shyam Bhandari & G Priyadarshini (for petitioner)

Case Title: PORKODI Versus THE STATE OF TAMIL NADU AND ORS., T.P.(Crl.) No. 1121/2025