Overview

• P. Nagendran, identified by police as the key conspirator in BSP leader K. Armstrong’s 2024 murder, died on October 9 at Government Stanley Hospital in Chennai while under custody.
• Accounts of the medical cause differ, with police citing a heart attack, hospital sources pointing to liver failure, and later reports mentioning multiple organ failure and cardiac arrest.
• The Madras High Court rejected a plea to include a doctor chosen by Nagendran’s widow but ordered an autopsy panel to include a retired Kilpauk Medical College dean, full video recording, and preservation of viscera for forensic analysis.
• Following the death, the Principal Sessions Court granted interim bail to Nagendran’s son and co-accused, N. Aswathaman, through October 13 to attend the funeral under set conditions.
• The CBI’s court-ordered reinvestigation of the Armstrong killing continues, with authorities updating the case record and some suspects still believed to be abroad under tracing efforts.