An Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) attached to the Anti Land Grabbing Special Cell of the Tiruchi City Crime Branch police has filed a petition in the Madras High Court Bench here seeking permission for the custodial interrogation of former Transport Minister K.N. Nehru (60) for five days in connection with a land grab case.
ACP R.M. Madhavan stated that the former Minister, his brother K.N. Ramajeyam, Tiruchi Deputy Mayor M. Anbalagan and eight others had forcibly grabbed 13,920 sq ft. of land from a doctor. They kidnapped the doctor, Srinivasan of Thuraiyur, his wife and father and obtained their signatures on a sale agreement under threat and coercion.
A case was registered under various sections of the Indian Penal Code including 307 (attempt to murder) and 420 (cheating) on August 25. The former Minister was arrested the same day and remanded to judicial custody.
Subsequently, a petition was filed before Judicial Magistrate-IV in Tiruchi seeking permission for custodial interrogation. The Magistrate on Monday dismissed the plea.
“The lower court has dismissed the petition stating that the specific reason for asking of police custody of the accused is not stated in the affidavit. It is humbly submitted that since investigation is in the initial stage, specific reasons cannot be disclosed at this stage,” the ACP said in his petition.
Further, stating that the Magistrate had mostly relied upon the objections raised by the accused, the ACP said that custodial interrogation was permissible under Section 167 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.