MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of Madras High Court recently granted bail to a man arrested in Tenkasi for allegedly selling banned tobacco products, after getting a handwritten undertaking from him and his wife that they would not sell banned tobacco products in the future and would make a non-refundable deposit of Rs 3,000 to a government school in Theni.
Justice S Srimathy passed the order on the bail petition filed by P Murugesan of Tenkasi.
According to the prosecution, Murugesan was found in possession of 525 kg of banned tobacco products. Following this, he was arrested by Alangulam police and remanded to judicial custody on November 20. He also has five previous cases of a similar nature pending against him, it added.
However, Justice Srimathy directed the prosecution to produce Murugesan and his wife before the court and directed them to submit an undertaking, written in their own handwriting, stating that they would not sell any banned tobacco products in the future.
Based on the same, Murugesan gave an undertaking that he runs a small grocery shop in Tenkasi for the past 11 years and had unknowingly sold banned tobacco products in his shop and would not do the same in the future. His wife also gave a separate undertaking of a similar nature.
Considering this and the period of incarceration undergone by Murugesan, the judge granted bail to him on condition that, in addition to the bail bond, he should make a non-refundable deposit of Rs 3,000 to the government higher secondary school in Odaipatti of Theni, without prejudice to his contentions and rights before the trial court. The said fund should be utilized for purchasing benches and desks for the newly constructed classrooms under the ‘Namakku Naamae’ scheme, the judge added.