The TN DGP has filed a petition in the Supreme Court against the CBI's probe into the Lavanya case

The Tamil Nadu government filed a petition before the Supreme Court on Thursday, February 3 to quash a Madras High Court (Madurai Bench) judgment ordering a CBI investigation into the death of a 17-year-old student amid claims of conversion.

The DGP challenged the legality of the ruling issued by a single-judge bench of the high court's Madurai bench on behalf of the Tamil Nadu government. Meanwhile, the girl's father has filed a caveat, seeking that the apex court refrains from issuing any orders until he has been heard in the case.

On January 31, the Madras High Court's Madurai Bench sent out the suicide case of Lavanya, a 17-year-old Class 12 girl who died on January 19, to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). After hearing Lavanya's father's petition for a federal investigation into his daughter's death, a bench led by Justice GS Swaminathan issued the orders.

Lavanya studied Sacred Hearts Higher Secondary School in Thanjavur's Michaelpatti locality. On January 19, she passed away. Her death sparked a state-wide political debate. Later, when she was admitted to a hospital before her death, she made a video. Lavanya claimed in the 44-second video that a woman named Raquel Mary had approached her and encouraged her to convert to Christianity, which she and her parents declined.

Four videos in total have surfaced, two of which were initially released. The conversion is only mentioned in one of the videos. One is about her personal information, another is about how she was forced to complete school tasks, and the third is about her stepmother.

Lavanya's father later filed a plea in the Madras High Court's Madurai Bench, claiming that he had lost faith in the Thanjavur police probe and demanding an investigation by the CB-CID or another such independent investigating agency.

Justice Swaminathan had slammed the police and lawmakers for "jumping to conclusions" when issuing orders. "Since a high-ranking minister himself has taken a stand, investigation cannot continue with the state police," the court added, referring to an interview given by School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi. The judge then directed the CBI Director to appoint an officer to take over the case investigation from the state police.