Bench stays probe in case against Alagiri

The Madras High Court Bench here on Wednesday stayed the ongoing investigation by the Keezhavalavu police near here into a criminal case registered against Union Minister M.K. Alagiri and other Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam functionaries on the basis of a complaint lodged by Tahsildar M. Kalimuthu (since suspended) on April 1.

Notices ordered

Justice M. Duraiswamy granted the interim stay and ordered notices to the Home Secretary, Director-General of Police, Superintendent of Police and Inspector of Keezhavalavu police station. Their replies were sought to a writ petition filed by the complainant Kalimuthu, who claimed to have lodged a “false complaint under the orders of his superiors and forceful directions of the police personnel.”

Resiling from all allegations levelled by him against the Union Minister and others in the complaint, the complainant sought to transfer the investigation to “some other neutral agency or officer outside Madurai district.” He alleged that the Madurai police were acting in a biased manner and forcing him to own up the contents of the FIR.

In his affidavit, filed in support of the writ petition, the suspended Tahsildar said he was deputed as the Assistant Electoral Officer of the Melur Assembly constituency on April 1, when he received information about the Minister's visit to Ambalakaranpatti Valludaiyar Temple in Vellalurnadu in Melur taluk. Immediately, he proceeded to the spot along with a videographer.

While the Minister was offering worship at the temple, his team “entered the temple in haste,” he said.

“We forgot to remove our footwear. The worshippers and public in the temple objected to this and asked us to leave the temple premises. This created some confusion and commotion,” he said. When this incident was communicated to the District Collector, the latter directed him to give a complaint to the Keezhavalavu police station. The Collector “further informed me that the Superintendent of Police concerned will be intimated and that I have to give a complaint as would be instructed by the police,” he said.

He claimed that he was asked by the Inspector and other officials at the police station to give a complaint that he had received information that the Minister was coming to the temple, along with 50 persons, to canvass for votes and that when the incident was being recorded, the Minister shouted at them and asked him and others to leave the premises and that he had come to assault the officials.

“In the tension and trouble that was created and the orders of my superiors and under the forceful directions of the police personnel, I succumbed to the pressure and gave a complaint on April 1, which was not true,” Mr. Kalimuthu said. Though he had given such a complaint, his conscience did not accept it, he added.

“Personal feuds”

“I realised that some persons were trying to settle personal and other feuds based on the complaint given by me… I wrote a letter to the Chief Electoral Officer on April 4 about the falsity of the complaint and marked copies to the Chief Secretary and the Director-General of Police… There was no response or action on my representation. The police did not even examine me and record my statement under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure,” he said.

Alleging that the police machinery in the district was being misused, he said the Keezhavalavu Inspector was bent on supporting the “wrong and false case”.

He added that he had no political or other affiliations and only wanted to act in accordance with the truth and his conscience.