Madurai: In a curious case of a Sub-inspector and a Village Administrative Officer labelling an ex-serviceman as a goonda and putting up a forged notice on his mother's house, the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court has directed the police to conduct an inquiry within four weeks.
This followed a petition from the retired Army personnel, M Marirajan, of Kothali village in Thoothukudi district, demanding action against the SI and VAO.
The petitioner submitted that A Sesuraj, VAO Puliyankudi, Tirunelveli district and V Surendrakumar, sub-inspector, Prohibition Enforcement Wing, Srivilliputhur, created a forged notice mentioning him as a proclaimed Goonda and pasted it on the front and backside of the door of his mother's house in Puliyankudi.
When Marirajan filed a petition under the Right to Information Act to the Public Information Officer, Sub-Tahsildar office, Sivagiri on May 2015 asking for information about the Goondas notice, he was told that no such order was passed.
According to him Sesuraj and Surendrakumar had done this as he had refused to pay them a bribe.
Elaborating the background of the case, petitioner's counsel Alagumani said Marirajan, who had started cable TV, travels and soft drink business after retirement from service, visited a relative at Sattur in 2014. On January 13, 2014, Virudhunagar Prohibition Enforcement Wing police registered a false case stating that he was involved in selling liquor. They foisted two more cases within the next three days against Marirajan, he submitted.
Then, to revoke the three cases, prohibition wing inspectors - Santhi, Sundarapandi and Guru Venkatraj - had demanded a bribe of Rs five lakh. “When the petitioner refused, the police detained him as bootlegger,” said Alagumani.
In the meantime, A Sesuraj and Surendrakumar put up the forged notice on the petitioner's mother’s house with the sole intention of damaging his reputation, the counsel submitted.
The petitioner approached the Superintendent of Police, Tirunelveli district and Inspector, Puliyankudi. But, they didn’t take any action. Hence, the present petition.
After hearing the argument, Justice M M Sundresh directed the police to complete the investigation within four weeks and also to register an FIR if a cognizable offence was made out in the case.