Pressure mounts for DMK MP Ramesh, who has been accused of murdering a labourer of his cashew nut processing unit in Cuddalore, as the Madras High Court has on Wednesday ordered Tamil Nadu's Crime Branch - Criminal Investigation Department (CB-CID) to table the report on the current status of the case and details of the witnesses. The CBCID has been probing the murder case and the order has been passed on the bail petition moved by the MP. 

TRVS Ramesh is a DMK MP representing the Cuddalore constituency in the current Lok Sabha and he has been under judicial custody since October this year with the allegations of murdering a labourer of his cashew nut processing unit. Ramesh was accused of beating and murdering 55-year-old Govindarasu, a labourer who was working in the unit for eight years. Govindarasu was a native of Melmampattu, Cuddalore. On September 19, he had gone to work and didn't return home. 

When his family was searching for his whereabouts, the close associate of the DMK MP had informed Govindaraj's son that his father has died. When Govindaraj's son was shocked to hear the news, he was told by the associate that his father's mortal remains were kept at the Mundiyampakkam government hospital in Villupuram. Govindaraj's son had rushed to the hospital and he developed suspicion over his father's death as he found several marks of injuries on his father's body.

Suspecting that his father would have been killed in the factory, he and his relatives sieged the Kadampuliyur police station and demanded the law enforcement agency to file a murder case against the DMK MP as the relatives alleged that he could have played a role in the death of Govindaraj. The relatives had approached the Madras High Court with a petition of seeking the CBI probe into the death. After hearing the matter, the High Court has ordered to shift the body from Mundiyampakkam government hospital to JIPMER in Puducherry and to conduct an autopsy.

The Tamil Nadu government had transferred the probe to the CBCID and the crime department had launched its investigation into the matter. The autopsy report has confirmed that Govindarasu was beaten to death and as per the report, the CBCID had filed a murder case against DMK MP Ramesh. The CBCID officials had filed the charge sheet on September 24 and they had arrested five other accused - Nataraj, Pichai, Vinoth, Sundar, and Kandhavel, involved in the crime.

However, Ramesh had gone absconded and days after being at large, he had surrendered before a court in Panruti on October 11 as the case has troubled the ruling DMK. As per the preliminary enquiry, Govindarasu was stopped by Ramesh on September 19 when he was returning home. Ramesh and others had accused Govindarasu of heisting cashew from the unit and when they questioned him about the theft, he was brutally beaten by Ramesh and he had eventually died in the factory.

Ramesh has been lodged in prison and has been in the process of acquiring bail. He moved his bail petition to the Madras High Court, which came to hearing before the bench headed by Justice Nirmal Kumar. During the hearing, the CBCID said that Govindarasu was beaten up with the allegation of heisting seven kilograms of cashew nut and DMK MP Ramesh was also there when the incident had happened. 

The CBCID has argued not to grant bail for Ramesh as he is a powerful figure and would tamper the evidence. However, the counsel of MP Ramesh has argued that Ramesh's name was not there in the list of people who attacked Govindarasu while the advocate representing Govindarasu's family urged that a CBI probe has been asked in the matter and that Ramesh shouldn't grant with bail. 

The police also asked the court not to provide bail as there are several people who are yet to be investigated. After the observation, the High Court bench has ordered the police to file a report on the current status of the case and the details of the witnesses to be investigated in the case. The court ordered to place the report on Thursday and the judge has adjourned the hearing to November 18.