Disqualified MLA P. Vetrivel has told the Madras High Court that a 20-second video footage, which purportedly showed former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa in a hospital bed, and was released to the media a day before the R.K. Nagar byelection, was obtained by him from V.K. Sasikala, through her nephew T.T.V. Dhinakaran, in “February/March” 2017.
He made the submission in a petition seeking anticipatory bail. The advance bail was sought in a case registered against him at the Anna Square police station here following a complaint lodged by N. Panneerselvam, secretary to the Justice A. Arumughaswamy Commission probing into the circumstances that led to Jayalalithaa’s hospitalisation and the treatment provided to her.
Filing an affidavit in support of his petition, Mr. Vetrivel alleged that the complaint had been lodged with the intent of getting him booked under non-bailable provisions such as Section 468 (forgery for the purpose of cheating) of the Indian Penal Code. He wondered how did the complainant come to the conclusion that the video was morphed without even conducting an inquiry.
A perusal of the complaint would show that it “is made under the instructions of the ruling party Ministers, Deputy Chief Minister and Chief Minister,” he alleged. He also contended that the Commission of Inquiry should have recorded his statement before arriving at a conclusion with respect to the genuineness of the video footage.
Referring to summons issued to him by the Commission after the registration of a First Information Report, Mr. Vetrivel said those summons did not contain any averment of fraud or forgery as claimed in the complaint lodged by Mr. Panneerselvam with the Chennai city police on December 20, the same day when the video was released to the media.
The complaint had led to a case booked under sections 468 and 471 (using as genuine a forged electronic record), Section 176 (Omission to give notice or information to public servant by a person legally bound to give it), Section 177 (furnishing false information) and Section 189 (threat of injury to public servant) of the IPC at the Anna Square Police Station here, he added.
Further, pointing out that the Returning Officer of R.K. Nagar Assembly constituency too had lodged a complaint against him, he said the Washermenpet Police here had taken it on file and registered an FIR under sections 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) of the IPC and 126(1)(b) of the Representation of the People Act of 1951.
‘Not related to bypoll’
Contending that the video released by him had no connection whatsoever with the R.K. Nagar bypoll, the petitioner said he was constrained to release it only because the EC had failed to take action against a huge number of pamphlets distributed by ruling party cadres in the constituency blaming V.K. Sasikala for the death of Jayalalithaa.
“I was having the pen drive which had the footage and the same was obtained by me from our party general secretary V.K. Sasikala through the party’s deputy general secretary T.T.V. Dhinakaran...
“I further state that due to political vengeance [and] purposely against the truth, our party general secretary was blamed continuously for the death of Jayalalithaa. In order to reveal the truth, I had released the footage on December 20, 2017, at the Secretariat premises,” his affidavit read.
The anticipatory bail application is expected to be listed for hearing before Justice R. Pongiappan during the Christmas vacation court sitting on Thursday.
