MHC seeks reply of victim girl in DMK MLA son bail appeal

The Madras High Court (MHC) has intervened in a case involving allegations of physical abuse against an 18-year-old housemaid by DMK MLA Karunanidhi’s son and daughter-in-law. The court has directed the police and the alleged victim girl to submit counters to the bail plea filed by the jailed couple, Anto Madhivanan and Marlena Ann. The couple, currently in custody, moved the MHC challenging the sessions court’s decision to deny them bail. The case was brought before Justice M Nirmal Kumar, who, after reviewing the appeal petition, instructed both the police and the alleged victim to file their responses to the appeal. The matter has been scheduled for further hearing on February 21, with the directive for the alleged victim to appear before the court on the day of the hearing. The case gained attention after a video testimony from a girl named Rekha, hailing from Ulundurpet, Kallakurichi, belonging to the Scheduled Castes (SC), went viral on social media. In her testimony, Rekha detailed the alleged torment she endured at the hands of the MLA’s daughter-in-law. She accused Anto Madhivanan and Marlena Ann of physically assaulting her and subjecting her to casteist slurs. Following the dissemination of the video testimony, the police took action, obtaining a statement from the victim girl and registering a case against the couple under various sections, including the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act 1989. A special team apprehended Anto Madhivanan and Marlena Ann on January 25 in Andhra Pradesh. Subsequently, the couple filed a bail petition before the Madras High Court, which was later referred to the principal sessions judge in Chennai. After hearing arguments from both sides, the sessions court dismissed the bail plea on February 6, remanding the couple to judicial custody. @@@@