The Kerala High Court on Monday called for the order passed by the First Class Judicial Magistrate, Pathanamthitta, remanding Tenny Joppan, former personal assistant of Chief Minister Oommen Chandy for a month at a stretch in custody.
Justice S. S. Satheesachandran directed the High Court Registry to ask the First Class Judicial Magistrate, Pathanamthitta, to send a copy of the order to the High Court.
The directive was issued when a bail petition of Joppan came up for hearing. It had been reported that the Magistrate had passed an order remanding him in custody for a month. The court, therefore said that the records related to the order had to be produced.
The court also asked for a report detailing the circumstances under which such an order was passed, overlooking section 167(2) of Cr.PC. When the petition was taken up, the State government asked for more time to inform the court of its response to the bail petition.
Joppan was arrested on June 18 on charges of cheating on a complaint filed by Sreedharan Nair before the Konni police station. Mr.Nair had alleged that he was taken to the office of the Chief Minister, where he held talks Mr. Chandy and other officers, and the accused person made him believe that the government would provide all assistance for the plant.
According to Joppan’s petition, he has no criminal antecedents. Nor there were any allegations that the complainant had given any money to the petitioner. As the investigation was almost complete, his detention in judicial custody was not essential.
