The Madras High Court Bench here on Thursday dismissed a bail application filed by S. Suresh alias Kasiniventhan, State youth wing secretary of All India Forward Bloc, in a case booked against him on a charge of murdering Puthiya Tamilagam functionary Lakshmanan alias Baskar at Srivaikundam in Tuticorin district on February 22.
Justice P.N. Prakash said that he was not inclined to grant bail “since the petitioner was arrested only on March 17 and the investigation by the Crime Branch Criminal Investigation Department is in a stage of infancy”. He also observed that the deceased, a prominent member of Dalit community, had been murdered in a very gruesome manner.
The CB-CID informed the court that the petitioner was facing prosecution in nine criminal cases. “He has a strong affiliation towards his own caste people and has enmity on other caste people. Investigation revealed that he always wanted to eliminate people of other community,” the agency’s counter affidavit stated.
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It further said the other accused in the case, M. Maruthupandi, had confessed to have committed the murder at the instance of the petitioner. It also stated that the CBCID sleuths had recovered one unlicensed revolver, six bullets, five swords and two machetes from the petitioner at the time of his arrest.