Advocate Shanmughsundram Case

Advocate Shanmughsundram Case
Mr. Shanmughsundram, a practising lawyer, was brutally attacked in his residence in May 1995, in a southern State. The attack came in full view of his personal staff. The victim was attacked as he was about to file a petition in the High Court against the corrupt activities of a powerful politician. The local police made some arrests but that did not evoke the confidence of the legal community. The case was handed over to the CBI by the High Court. Investigation disclosed that the victim, though politically affiliated, was trying to seek judicial intervention. This angered the politician who had the attack organised through his underlings. The role of the local police was suspect in that they orchestrated the surrender of certain criminals who were actually not involved in the attack, but agreed to own responsibility with a view to shielding a politically powerful criminal gang. CBI investigation established the identity of the real culprits. They were arrested and sent to trial. Welding Kumar, the don who had organised the attack, was himself not present but was charged with criminal conspiracy. All the assailants, including Welding Kumar, have been convicted for life. However, the investigation could not go beyond Welding Kumar as adequate evidence could not be built up against the motivators, the third tier. This is a common problem faced in investigations of organised crime.