T.J. Abraham, who has filed a string of corruption cases against prominent politicians in the Lokayukta court, was on Thursday arrested by the city police in a 10-year-old assault case.
The Banaswadi police turned up at his home in Indiranagar in the morning, took him away by producing a non-bailable warrant (NBW) issued against him, produced him before the 11th ACMM and remanded him in judicial custody till December 4.
‘Proclaimed offender’
When Mr. Abraham requested the court to hear his bail application, it initially posted hearing to Saturday as the prosecutor sought time. Though the police claimed it was merely executing the NBW issued on November 16, it is learnt that the Banaswadi police inspector had filed an application stating they could not find the accused in the 10-year-old case and had declared him a proclaimed offender. The police sought the NBW on November 16 and executed it on November 22. The case relates to a complaint by Mr. Abraham’s neighbour Rajan Choudhry that the former had assaulted him with a cricket bat.
“I expected this and had even said I would be in danger recently while seeking police protection,” Mr. Abraham told the media while he was being whisked away.
Later, senior Supreme Court counsel K.V. Dhananjay, who also argued partly in his case in the Lokayukta court, appeared before magistrate Rajeev Gowda and requested him to advance the hearing on bail application. “The court was pleased to take up the hearing on Friday,” he said, pointing out how his client could be termed a proclaimed offender when he was attending courts regularly.
Big names
Mr. Abraham had filed three private complaints against politicians, including the former minister D.K. Shivakumar, and the former Chief Ministers S.M. Krishna, N. Dharam Singh, H.D. Kumaraswamy and B.S. Yeddyurappa. Police Commissioner B.G. Jyothi Prakash Mirji denied political pressure behind the arrest.
