Chennai, July 7:
The Chennai Principal Sessions Court has deferred its order to tomorrow on a petition filed by the police seeking custody of three persons arrested for allegedly attempting to bribe a TVK MLA.
In connection with the case, Triplicane police had filed a petition before the Chennai Principal Sessions Court seeking permission to take the arrested individuals—Naresh, Ramesh, and Karthik—into police custody for five days for further interrogation.
When the matter came up for hearing before Judge S. Karthikeyan, all three accused were produced in court. Assistant Commissioner of Police, Triplicane Range, Azhagu, appeared in the witness box and explained the details of the case.
He stated that custodial interrogation was necessary to uncover the criminal conspiracy, identify others involved, trace illegal financial transactions, and recover crucial evidence. He also assured the court that the accused would not be subjected to any physical or mental harassment during police custody.
The judge then asked the accused whether they had any objections to being sent into police custody. The trio opposed the move, claiming that their homes had already been searched and that they were forced to sign blank papers under threat. They expressed fear for their safety and requested that they not be remanded to police custody.
Senior advocate N.R. Elango, appearing for the accused, argued that allegations of attempting to topple a government are serious and often linked to terrorism. He contended that eight individuals had already been arrested without verifying the authenticity of the complaint and alleged that the case was politically motivated, pointing to claims linking former minister Senthil Balaji and his brother to the case.
He further argued that the complainant MLA had remained silent for two days before filing the complaint, indicating a lack of urgency. Therefore, he said, there was no necessity for custodial interrogation and requested the court to dismiss the police petition and grant bail to the accused.