Chennai: DMK Rajya Sabha MP, R S Bharathi today surrendered before the principal sessions court in Chennai and sought bail in a case booked under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act of 1989.
The Madras High Court on Saturday refused to cancel an interim bail granted by the Principal Sessions Court to Bharathi. Justice M Nirmal Kumar rejected a plea by the Central Crime Branch, attached to Greater Chennai police on the ground that the family members of the accused were doctors and hence, if he was lodged in prison, there was a possibility of the other inmates testing positive for COVID-19.
The judge also allowed a direction petition filed by the MP and directed the Principal Sessions Court to consider grant of regular bail to him right on the day when he chooses to surrender before the court. Following this, Bharathi surrendered before the court today.
Bharathi was recently arrested by the Central Crime Branch (CCB) wing of the Chennai city police under the SC/ST Act for his derogatory remarks against Judges belonging to the Scheduled Castes.
After his arrest early in the morning, he was later produced before the Egmore Metropolitan Magistrate Court which granted him interim bail, citing that his bail plea was pending before the Madras High Court.
He was arrested for his remarks in an indoor meeting at the party office on 15 February that Dalit Judges owed their positions to the DMK’s social upliftment policy, which went viral on the social media.
On a complaint lodged by Athi Tamilar Makkal Katchi President Kalayanasundaram, Teynampet police registered cases against him
under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of
Atrocities) Act. The case was later transferred to the CCB wing of the city police.
Bharathi, who is also the organising secretary of the DMK, was
arrested from his residence at Alandur, following which DMK cadres staged a protest in front of the City Police Commissioner’s office.