The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court granted bail to an accused involved in illegal transportation of sand. He was directed to make a non refundable deposit of ₹20,000 to the credit of the District Mineral Foundation Trust concerned.
Justice Abdul Quddhose granted bail with conditions to Manikandan of Palavoor in Tirunelveli district who was arrested and remanded in judicial custody on March 30. The case of the prosecution was that the petitioner had illegally transported odai sand. While the petitioner claimed that he was falsely implicated in the case, the State submitted that the investigation was yet to be completed. There was no previous case against the petitioner.
The court has to strike a balance between the rights of the accused to his liberty and the interest of society. Liberty of an accused cannot be snatched unreasonably for an uncertain time only on the basis of mere allegations, the court observed. The accused was directed to appear before police daily at 10.30 a.m. for two weeks and thereafter, as and when required for interrogation.
