People pay floral tribute at the spot where Bahujan Samaj Party State President Armstrong was murdered in Chennai. File.
| Photo Credit: B. Jothi Ramalingam
The Supreme Court on Wednesday (November 19, 2025) modified an earlier order to stay the transfer of the case relating to the murder of BSP state president K. Armstrong murder to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). “After considering the facts of this case, we modify the order dated October 10, 2025, to the effect that until the next date, the direction to transfer the investigation to the CBI shall also remain stayed,” a Bench headed by Justice J.K. Maheshwari directed, listing the case next on January 13, 2026.
On October 10, the apex court had stayed a Madras High Court order of September 24 quashing a 7,411-page chargesheet lodged in the murder of Armstrong, a BSP Tamil Nadu president. However, at that time, the Bench did not stay the part of the High Court order directing the transfer of the murder probe to the CBI.
“The direction for transferring the investigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation shall remain in operation,” the top court had ordered on October 10.
In a hearing earlier in November, Porkudi, Armstrong’s wife, represented by advocates Rahul Shyam Bhandari and G. Priyadarshini, alleged that the State of Tamil Nadu was not handing over the probe papers to the CBI. She has filed an application regarding this issue in court.
Senior advocate Siddharth Luthra and advocate Sabarish Subramanium appear for the State, and advocate Yogesh Kanna represents Armstrong’s brother, K.V. Immanuel.
The State had moved the apex court against the HC decision to quash the chargesheet. Mr. Luthra had further objected to the transfer of the probe to the CBI, arguing that it cannot be done as a matter of routine by the High Courts. He had submitted in October that the HC had been “swayed by extraneous considerations, including media narratives and prevailing political circumstances, ordering a de-novo probe and transfer of the case to the CBI.
Armstrong was killed at Perambur, Chennai, by unknown assailants who approached him as food delivery agents on July 5, 2024. A Special Investigation Team headed by the Joint Commissioner of Police had been constituted. The chargesheet submitted by the State Police had invoked multiple provisions of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Explosives Act, the Armstrong Act, forensic reports, witness statements and other supporting documents.
Published – November 19, 2025 10:29 pm IST
