Court orders fresh probe into actor Saranraj death case

The Chennai Additional Sessions Court has ordered a fresh investigation into the death of film supporting actor Saranraj, who was killed after being hit by a car in 2023, and directed the Tamil Nadu Director General of Police to initiate legal and departmental action against the police inspector accused of treating the case as a road accident.
The court also directed that a new investigating officer be appointed and that a supplementary final report be filed within 60 days after completing the fresh investigation.Saranraj, 30, a resident of Dhanalakshmi Nagar in Maduravoyal, had acted in films including Vada Chennai and Asuran. On June 7, 2023, he was riding a two-wheeler in the K.K. Nagar area when a speeding car hit him, resulting in his death. The Guindy Traffic Investigation Wing initially investigated the case.
The investigation found that Palaniyappan, another supporting actor who had acted in the film Rajinimurugan and was residing in Saligramam, was allegedly driving the car at high speed when it hit Saranraj.
Saranraj’s mother subsequently approached the 16th Additional Sessions Court, alleging that her son had not died in an accident but had been deliberately killed as part of a conspiracy. She alleged that Palaniyappan, also a supporting actor and director, along with Tamil Arasan and Durairaj, had borrowed money from her son and that a dispute over repayment had led to the alleged
murder.
She further alleged that a police inspector had assisted in covering up the incident and that CCTV footage from the area had not been properly collected or examined. She submitted CCTV evidence along with her petition.
In his order, Judge Sanjay Baba observed that the police claim that there were no eyewitnesses because the incident occurred at midnight was not convincing. The court noted that traffic police personnel were apparently on duty in the area but had not been cited as witnesses.
The court also observed that the police version that the car first hit another vehicle before hitting Saranraj’s two-wheeler did not correspond with the CCTV footage. The failure to collect and examine CCTV recordings from the area and the fact that the vehicle involved in the incident was sent for motor vehicle inspection only 122 days later also raised doubts, the court said.
The court observed that the Guindy Traffic Police Inspector, Akila, had allegedly diverted the investigation by portraying the incident as an accident and concealing facts, thereby misleading the investigation and the court.The judge directed the DGP to take appropriate legal and departmental action against Akila and ordered that she should not be assigned investigation-related duties for at least three years in view of the allegations against her.
The court further directed the Tamil Nadu DGP and the Chennai City Police Commissioner to appoint an officer of integrity to conduct the fresh investigation and submit a supplementary final report to the court within 60 days.