The Madras High Court on Tuesday granted anticipatory bail to disqualified AIADMK MLAs P. Vetrivel and Thanga Tamilselvan in a case booked against them on charges of attempting to enter into the Legislative Assembly complex forcibly for addressing a press conference against Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami on March 1 and, in the process, using criminal force against the police officers on guard duty.
Justice A.D. Jagadish Chandira granted the relief on condition that both of them should stay in Madurai for two weeks and sign at the Tallakulam police station every day. Thereafter, they should appear before the Inspector of Fort St. George Police Station here as and when required. The orders were passed after hearing Advocate-General Vijay Narayan for the prosecution and senior counsel I. Subramanian representing the petitioners.
During the course of arguments, Mr. Narayan told the judge that of late, many “VIPs and ex-VIPs” had come to think that they could act in a callous manner with utter disregard for law and still obtain advance bail from the courts as a matter of right.
‘No merit in case’
Mr. Subramanian argued that there was no merit in the present case booked under Sections 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servants from discharging their duty) and 506 part I (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code. “The only merit is that my learned friend (Advocate-General) is appearing to oppose even anticipatory bail,” he said and claimed that it was purely a politically motivated case.
“The petitioners are politicians and the only sin they have committed is to have joined the other group [led by the party’s sidelined leader T.T.V. Dhinakaran],” the senior counsel said and urged the court not to impose stringent conditions such as directing the petitioners to stay out of Chennai. However, the judge refused to accept the plea and said they must stay in Madurai at least for a limited period of two weeks.
Earlier, when the AG insisted on dismissing the advance bail plea, the judge said there was no chance of the petitioners influencing the witnesses since all nine of them who had been examined so far were official witnesses including a constable, few sub-inspectors of police, an Inspector of Police and an Assistant Commissioner of Police.
After the scuffle with the police on March 1, the petitioners had addressed a press conference outside the Assembly complex and levelled corruption charges against the Chief Minister.
