The Madras High Court has refused to grant anticipatory bail to nine individuals who were accused of indulging in rioting and other criminal offences at Tondiarpet here on April 9 when a nationwide lockdown was in force to fight COVID-19.
Justice V.M. Velumani dismissed their joint advance bail petition after observing that they were facing “serious charge” of not having obeyed the lockdown imposed by the government besides preventing the police from performing their duties.
According to Government Advocate T. Shunmugarajeswaran, a businessman from Tondiarpet A. Mohamed Ferozkhan had lodged a complaint on April 9 accusing a gang of trespassing into his office and assaulting him after damaging the property.
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The complainant also accused the gang of preventing the police who came to his rescue. Hence, they were booked under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code as well as the Epidemic Diseases Act of 1897 and the Disaster Management Act of 2005.
Apprehending arrest, petitioners M. Jaffer Sathik, S. Ismail, A. Selvam alias Syed Abuthahir, M. Jahir Hussain, A. Kadar Mydeen, A. Kamal alias Ottaham Kamal, K. Mohamed Jalal, M. Syed Abuthagir and M. Mohammed Eshak had approached the court seeking advance bail.