NEW DELHI/VIRUDHUNAGAR: On a day when a magistrate court in Srivilliputhur remanded former AIADMK minister Rajendra Bhalaji to 15-day judicial custody in two cheating cases registered against him by the Virudhunagar district crime branch (DCB) police, the Supreme Court questioned the Tamil Nadu government as to what was the hurry in arresting him when his petition was pending before it. The court then posted the case for hearing on Monday and stayed all further proceedings.
“Is it proper for your government to arrest him when the matter was pending before the Supreme Court? Would heavens have fallen otherwise?” asked a bench headed by Chief Justice N V Ramana. “Why are you in a hurry?” asked Justice Hima Kohli. Senior advocate Dushyant Dave appearing for the former minister told the court that the police had also raided his lawyer. The Virudhunagar police had registered two FIRs against the former minister for allegedly cheating people by promising them government jobs.
On Thursday morning, Bhalaji was brought to Virudhunagar from Karnataka where he was arrested on Wednesday by a special TN police team. After interrogation by the DCB for three hours and a medical check-up, he was produced before the Srivilliputhur judicial magistrate.
His advocates opposed the police’s plea to take him into custody and told the court his anticipatory bail would be heard by the Supreme Court later in the day. Magistrate V Paramveer, however, remanded him to 15-day judicial custody. Initially, police decided to lodge him in Madurai central prison, but he was later taken to Tiruchy central jail.
Meanwhile, the Bar Council of Tami Nadu and Puducherry condemned the raids carried out at the residence of Bhalaji’s advocate in Madurai and urged the DGP to take appropriate action against erring cops. PS Amalraj, chairman of the bar association, said advocates should not be stopped by police from discharging their professional duties. The raid at advocate E Marees Kumar house in Madurai violates the Advocates Act, 1961, he said.
Speaking to reporters, E Marees Kumar said the case is politically motivated. The advocate also said that one of the complainants, Ravindran, had filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court stating that he had not met Bhalaji and hadn’t given any money to him. The advocate also alleged the police detained them for nearly an hour at the Sivakasi police station to prevent them from appearing in the JM court.