Madras HC refuses to extend stay on arrest of ex-AIADMK minister

Chennai: The Madras High Court on Wednesday reserved its orders after refusing to grant further interim relief to former AIADMK minister M Manikandan in his anticipatory bail petition

Chennai: The Madras High Court on Wednesday reserved its orders after refusing to grant further interim relief to former AIADMK minister M Manikandan in his anticipatory bail petition. The minister had moved the bail plea in a case booked against him by an actor, who is a Malaysian national, for cheating her on the pretext of marriage.

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Justice Abdul Qudhose passed the directions after the prosecution submitted that interrogation of the former minister of Information and Technology (2016-2019) is required. Since he had held an important position, there is every possibility of him tampering with the evidence in the case, the prosecution added.

Earlier, Justice R Subramanian had ordered the police to not arrest the former minister till June 9.

During the hearing on Wednesday, the counsel for the minister, John Sathyan argued that there is no iota of truth in the allegations levelled against the minister and the entire complaint and the accompanying documents are concocted after several attempts for compromise with extortionist demands were not accepted by the minister. The change in government was also noted.

The counsel for the minister also added that the offence under section 313 (causing miscarriage without woman’s consent) of the Indian Penal Code made by the actor is done with a malafide intention since she voluntarily caused abortion and there is no material whatsoever to show that it was done on the inducement of the minister.

However, the counsel V Raghavachari, appearing for the actor, submitted that the consent given for sex on the promise of marriage by the minister to the actor cannot be considered as consent if the promise is not honoured. In her complaint, the actor had charged that Manikandan had lured her into a relationship for five years on the pretext of marriage but had forced her to abort, and had issued death threats to her.

The single-member bench directed both the counsels to file their written submissions on the plea and reserved its orders without extending interim relief to the former minister.