Chennai: DMK MLA M Subramanian and his wife who were involved in an alleged grabbing of a government property by forging documents, were yesterday granted anticipatory bail.
The couple were directed by Justice GK Ilanthiraiyan to appear before a Metropolitan Magistrate Court on condition that they shall execute a bond for Rs 10,000 with two sureties for a like sum to the satisfaction of the Magistrate within 15 days from the date of the order.
The complainant S Parthiban had contested as an Independent against former Chennai Corporation Mayor Subramanian in the 2016 assembly election.
Subramanian in his election affidavit had claimed that the property belonged to his wife Kanchana. But the complainant said that the claim was false and that the land belonged to S K Kannan who had died in 2015. In 14 February 1959, Industries and Commerce Department had allotted the land to Kannan.
Subramanian had encroached the property by forging documents in collusion with officials of Tamilnadu Small Industries Development Corporation (SIDCO), who was the property owner. Later, the building was demolished and a new house was built by the MLA, and this was declared by him in his election affidavit, accused Parthiban.
Senior counsel P Wilson appearing for the former mayor and his wife had submitted that the de facto complainant was a third party and he had nothing to do with the property. In his order, the judge said Subramanian and his wife were in possession of the property from 1996. “This court feels that the custodial interrogation is not required in this case and inclined to grant anticipatory bail,” said the judge.
The state public prosecutor A Natarajan earlier submitted that SIDCO had allotted the property only to labourers. As per a government order, the property can be assigned only to the legal heirs of the allottee. There was no question of selling the property to third parties. Only for the purpose of grabbing the property, this assignment was fabricated, he had alleged.