THOOTHUKUDI: An anti-Sterlite activist who was arrested in two cases — a bike theft and cutting a birthday cake with a sickle — was granted bail in both the cases here on Wednesday.
While Principal District Munsif Baskar, in-charge of Judicial Magistrate 3, granted bail to Santhosh Raj (24) of Pandarampatti in the cake-cutting case, Principal District Judge Lokeshwaran granted bail to him in the bike theft case.
The activist had grabbed the media attention when he asked Rajinikanth “Who are you” when the actor-turned politician visited Thoothukudi Government Medical College hospital to console the victims of Thoothukudi police firing.
At the time of the actor’s visit, Santhosh, was also undergoing treatment at the hospital for the injuries he sustained during the police firing. He had taken part in the protest against Sterlite under the banner of All College Students Association.
Santhosh was arrested by Thoothukudi North police on February 21 for buying a stolen bike. The arrest was based on a complaint filed by the bike’s owner Shyamkumar of Muthukrishnapuram.
He was arrested again on February 26 by SIPCOT police in a case related to cutting a birthday cake with aruval.
Sources said that Santhosh was the eighth accused in the ‘cake-cutting case’. Police had taken action after a video clip of a birthday celebration, in which the youth were seen cutting a cake with a large sickle went viral in the social media. Seven accused had obtained advance bail on January 30.