The Madras High Court on Monday warned cinematographer-turned-actor M. Ilavarasu of perjury proceedings if he does not apologise for falsely accusing the Greater Chennai City Police (GCCP) of having submitted a fabricated closed circuit television (CCTV) camera footage in court to prove his presence in a city police station on December 12, 2023.
Justice A.D. Jagadish Chandira granted time till Tuesday to tender the apology after Government Advocate S. Santhosh produced tower location details of the actor’s mobile phone to prove he was indeed in the police station on that day. The judge expressed displeasure over the actor having sidetracked the real issue by levelling unnecessary allegations against the police.
The judge asked the actor’s counsel to advise his client appropriately since the CCTV footage from the police station as well as the mobile phone tower location proved he was in T. Nagar on December 12 and not in Mahabalipuram, for a movie shooting, as claimed by him before the court on January 23, 2024 when the latter called for the tower location details to verify his claim.
“From the perusal of the CDR (Call Detail Records), this court is of the view that the averments made by the petitioner that he was not present in the police station on December 12, 2023 between 12.09 hours and 12.51 hours is false. It is also to be noted that he, on the earlier occasion, strongly contended that he was in a shooting at Mahabalipuram on the particular day,” the judge wrote.
Since the actor’s counsel sought a day’s time to get proper instructions from his client, the judge adjourned the matter by a day. The accusation against the police was levelled during the hearing of a contempt of court petition filed by the actor, in his capacity as the general secretary of Southern India Cinematographer’s Association, against an Inspector of Police.
The contempt petition had been filed for not conducting a proper investigation into a 2018 funds misappropriation complaint lodged by the association against its former office-bearers. During the course of hearing the contempt petition, the police informed the court that they had obtained a statement from the contempt petitioner on December 12, 2023 and filed a chargesheet on December 13, 2023.
However, during the hearing of the contempt plea on January 10, 2024, the actor denied having gone to the police station on December 12, 2023. Subsequently, when the police produced the December 12, 2023 CCTV footage from the police station before the court on January 23, 2024, he claimed it to have been fabricated forcing the judge to call for his mobile phone tower location details.
