Petition seeks to declare MP as habitual offender

The petitioner said that he submitted a representation to the Ramanathapuram Collector on August 5, 2013 to conduct an inquiry against DMK MP J.K.Ritheesh

A petition has been filed in the Madras High Court bench here seeking a direction to the Ramanathapuram Collector to conduct an inquiry and declare DMK MP J.K.Ritheesh as a habitual offender under Section 110 of the Criminal Procedure Code (Cr.P.C).

The petitioner, K.Thangaraj, a DMK cadre and former president of Manjur village panchayat, in his petition claimed that there were 11 criminal cases pending against Mr.Ritheesh across the State. Since 2008, the Kanchipuram, Ramanathapuram, Paramakudi and Madurai police had booked Mr.Ritheesh under various sections, including 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting with weapons), 307 (attempt to murder), 506 (criminal intimidation), 323 (causing hurt) and 379 (theft), of the Indian Penal Code and the provisions of the Tamil Nadu Public Properties Damages (TNPPDL) Act. Besides, the Central Crime Branch, Chennai, had booked the MP in a few cheating cases, he claimed.

Mr.Thangaraj alleged that in 2012 he was assaulted by Mr.Ritheesh and his supporters in Madurai at a public meeting and was abused with reference to his caste, and that a case was registered against the MP by the Tallakulam police under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (prevention of atrocities) Act.

In his petition, the petitioner said that he submitted a representation to the Ramanathapuram Collector on August 5, 2013 to conduct an inquiry against Mr.Ritheesh under Section 110 of the Cr.P.C and to declare him a habitual offender. He moved the court as the representation was not considered, he added.

Another plea

In another petition filed in the court, P.Samidurai, a DMK cadre, alleged that on June 27, 2013 the supporters of Mr.Ritheesh assaulted him and two others with lethal weapons at Pandiyur near Paramakudi due to political enmity. He submitted a complaint to the Paramakudi police, but they failed to include Mr.Ritheesh’s name in the FIR, Mr.Samidurai alleged.

Therefore, he moved the court seeking a direction to the Paramakudi police to book Mr.Ritheesh under Sections 147, 148, 341 (wrongful restraint), 323, 324 (assaulting with weapon), 307 (attempt to murder) and 120 (b) (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC.