The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : CBI seeks cancellation of bail granted to accused in Dinakaran attack case

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Wednesday, Jan 23, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

CBI seeks cancellation of bail granted to accused in Dinakaran attack case

Mohamed Imranullah S.

Special Crime Branch says sessions court “committed grave error”
“Respondents will intimidate prosecution witnesses to desist from giving evidence”

MADURAI: The Central Bureau of Investigation on Tuesday moved the Madras High Court Bench here to cancel the bail granted to 11 of the 17 accused in the Sun Network office attack case.

In its petition, the Special Crime Branch of the CBI said that the Principal Sessions Court here had committed a “grave error” by granting bail. It would have an adverse effect on society at large and people would lose confidence in the judiciary.

The case relates to the attack on the Sun Network’s office here on May 9 last year when a mob hurled petrol bombs killing three persons. It happened after a survey published by Dinakaran, a Tamil daily owned by the network. It had elicited public opinion on Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi’s political successor and gave the last place to his elder son M.K. Azhagiri.

The State Government handed over the investigation to the CBI, which filed charge sheet against 17 persons, including a Deputy Superintendent of Police (since suspended), for failing to discharge his duty. The perpetrators were charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code as well as the Explosive Substances Act, 1908.

One of the accused, Thirumurugan alias ‘Kaatuvasi’ Murugan, is absconding while P. Pandi alias ‘Attack Pandi,’ M. Thiruselvam, P. Prabhu, M. Saravanan, K. Murugan alias Sorimurugan, S. Vijaypandi, P. Kandhasamy, M. Valivittan, M. Thayamuthu, V. Sudhakaran and T. Ramesh Kumar alias ‘Mechanic’ Ramesh were granted conditional bail on November 16.

Granting bail, the Sessions Judge had observed that only three accused other than the 11 bail applicants had hurled the petrol bombs and hence the latter were not the main accused in the case. Assailing the observation, the CBI said: “The respondents (11 accused) are members of an unlawful assembly and no individual act is a condition precedent for imputing liability on a particular member.”

The agency further said the accused were part of the gang led by ‘Attack’ Pandi, an active member of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.“The respondents, while enjoying the liberty of bail, will directly or indirectly intimidate or threaten prosecution witnesses to desist from giving evidence, which will result in inestimable damage/harm to the process of law and in the progress of trial.”

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