CHENNAI: THE Madras High Court has set aside a charge-memo issued against M Manohar, the then Superintendent of Police in connection with the violent incidents that occurred during the byelections to the Thirumangalam Assembly constituency in December, 2008. Justice M Sathyanarayanan quashed the charge-memo while allowing a writ petition from Manohar on June 1.
The charge against Manohar was that he launched a lathicharge on AIADMK MLA R Samy and his supporters on Decmber 29, 2008 and arrested them, registered a case and produced them before the local Magistrate, who had remanded them in judicial custody.
Samy also lodged a counter-complaint after five years in 2013 against Manohar, alleging that at the time of the incident, he had behaved aggressively, manhandled him and attacked party cadre. He caused injuries to many and the injured were not given any medical treatment and food.
After five years, while Manohar was empanelled along with six others for conferment of IPS, the Inspector-General of Police (South Zone) directed the SP (Madurai) Balakrishnan to inquire into the charges against Manohar, in July 2013. Hence, the present petitions challenging the charge-memo and appointment of the inquiry officer. Advocate M Ravi contended that the charge-memo was a malafide proceedings timed to deny Manohar the IPS status for political reasons. He was No. 2 in the rank then. The State has dropped the criminal proceedings against Samy, Ravi pointed out.
Timing is important
The judge noted that Samy, one of the accused in the criminal case, had waited for five years and on the verge of Manohar becoming a member of IPS, it was thought fit to lodge the complaint against him