Judicial Magistrate V. Maheswari Bhanurekha here on Monday rejected a request to remand former Transport Minister K.N. Nehru, his brother K.N. Ramajeyam and Deputy Mayor M. Anbazhagan in judicial custody in a case registered against them by the City Crime Branch (CCB) on charges of threatening and attempting to murder a realtor in the city last year.
The former Transport Minister, Mr. Ramajeyam and Mr. Anbazhagan, were produced before Judicial Magistrate Court V in connection with the case under police escort from Cuddalore Central Prison, Palayamkottai Central Prison and Salem Central Prison.
Mr. Nehru and the other two, who were granted bail in land grabbing cases by the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court recently, were formally arrested in the case relating to threatening and attempting to murder a realtor on a complaint lodged by Lewronne Morais a few days ago.
Since the three were in jail when the case was registered on October 2, Prisoners Transit warrants were issued to produce them on October 7. They were produced before Judicial Magistrate IV Pushparani holding additional charge for Judicial Magistrate V court as its Magistrate was on leave on that day.
Magistrate Pushparani directed the CCB to produce the three before Judicial Magistrate V on October 10.
Defence counsel N.R. Elango argued that since the three were not produced before the court within 24 hours of their formal arrest on October 3 in the case, their detention was illegal.
Confining the three accused on October 8 and 9 without an order of remand and only on the basis of PT warrants amounted to illegal detention.
Advocate General A. Navaneethakrishnan and State Public Prosecutor I. Subramanian who appeared on behalf of the State contended that three accused were produced on October 7 as per court direction and that under PT warrants the accused need not be produced before the court within 24 hours of their arrest.
After hearing the arguments of both sides lasting over two hours in the packed court hall, Magistrate Maheswari Bhanurekha in her order stated that Mr. Nehru and the other two accused cannot be remanded in judicial custody and set them at liberty.
Mr. Ramajeyam and Mr. Anbazhagan were immediately set at liberty as they had already been granted bail by the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court.
However, Nehru was taken back to Cuddalore Central Prison since the warrant sent from the prison carried a direction to the escort police to bring him back to the jail.
He is expected to be released as soon as he reaches Cuddalore Prison, defence counsel said.
