The Madras High Court has quashed an order passed by Puducherry officials detaining R. Ezhilarasi, a prime accused in a case related to the murder of former Puducherry Speaker V.M.C. Sivakumar, under the Puducherry Prevention of Anti-Social Activities Act of 2008.
Justices Rajiv Shakdher and R. Suresh Kumar allowed a habeas corpus petition challenging her preventive detention order and said that a detailed order giving reasons for their decision would follow later. The detainee had challenged the detention on many grounds, including delay in considering her representations.
Accused surrendered
The accused, second wife of liquor baron Ramu alias Radhakrishnan, had surrendered before Judicial Magistrate on January 23 after the police suspected her involvement in the murder and attempted to arrest her.
Thereafter, the preventive detention law was invoked to prevent her from getting released on bail. The 2008 Act empowers the police to pass detention orders against bootleggers, dangerous persons, forest offenders, gamblers, goondas and property grabbers to prevent their anti-social and criminal activities prejudicial to the maintenance of public order. A five-time MLA, Sivakumar was hacked to death reportedly by a six-member gang which hurled country bombs at him when he came to oversee the construction of a marriage hall at Neravy near Karaikal on January 3.
