Chennai, July 3:
V Ashok Kumar, brother of DMK heavyweight and former Minister V Senthilbalaji, on Friday filed an anticipatory bail petition in the Madras High Court apprehending arrest in the case relating the plot to poach a ruling TVK MLA with a Rs 35 crore bribery offer to switch sides during voting on a resolution against the Speaker in the Tamil Nadu Assembly.
After booking cases against Ashok Kumar under four sections, including under the Prevention of Corruption Act, police launched search operations to arrest him. Special teams also rushed to his native Karur district and searched his residences, However, he was said to be absconding.
Since Senthibalaji’s name was also included in the FIR, police have also launched search operations to apprehend him.
Fearing arrest in the case, Ashok Kumar filed the anticipatory bail plea contending that the whole allegation was part of the political conspiracy against him. He said he had no connection with the alleged plot to destabilise the State government.
When the matter was taken up for hearing, the court directed the police to file its reply and adjourned the matter to July six for the next hearing.
It may be noted that the poaching row erupted following a complaint by TVK Uthankarai legislator Dr N Ilaiyaraja who alleged that YouTuber Thirunavukkarasu, who also runs an opinion poll firm, approached him with a bribe offer of Rs 35 crore to defect, which he had rejected, following which he and his family were threatened. This incident was seen as an attempt to topple the less than two-month-old TVK government headed by Chief Minister Vijay, and that Senthilblaji and his brother were said to be behind this.
Police quoting inquiries disclosed that Ashok Kumar met accused Naresh–already arrested along with Thirunavukkarasu and another person Thiagarajan–in Chennai, while further probe revealed that Thirunavukkarasu had contacted the MLA and made the bribe offer on the instructions of Senthil Balaji and Ashok Kumar following which FIR was registered against the ex-Minister’s brother.
Police have so far arrested eight people in connection with the case, including a functionary of the another opposition party AIADMK identified as Srinivasan. Among the arrested were two persons from Karur, Ramesh and Karthik who were said to be closely linked to the influential former DMK Minister and two others Selvan and Rajesh.