Contempt notice served on police
Chennai: The arrest of the Coonoor judicial magistrate on a rape complaint by a woman sub-inspector of police took a different turn with the Madras HC initiating suo motu contempt proceedings against five police officials, including Tirupur SP. Notices were issued asking them to appear before the court on July 29.
Taking suo motu cognisance for “committing contempt of court” in the matter relating to the arrest of S. Thangaraj, JM, Coonoor, the first bench, comprising acting chief justice R.K. Agrawal and Justice M. Sathyanarayanan, rebuked the police for showing scant respect and disregard to the guidelines framed by the Supreme Court and deliberately violating them.
“Blatant misuse of power to the guidelines issued by the SC in Delhi judicial service association Vs State of Gujarat has compelled us to take suo motu action for committing contempt by the five police officers,” the bench said.
This action followed an intervention by TN advocates’ association president S. Prabakaran. Producing a copy of the SC judgment, he said, “I don’t want to file any petition and argue the matter. Please just go through the judgment.”
Thereafter, the bench issued notices seeking explanation from the police, including SP Ponni, Palladam DSP Suresh Kumar, Udumalpet DSP C. Pitchai, Komarapalayam inspector K. Shanthamoorthy and Palladam all women police station (AWPS) sub-inspector Krishnakumar.
Going into the sequence of events relating to the arrest, the bench observed that it was evident that the police officials had intentionally breached the SC guidelines, which stated that if a judicial officer ought to be held for some offence, it should be carried out under intimation to the district judge or the high court as the case might be.
Magistrate on bail, back on duty
Coimbatore: The judicial magistrate of the fast track court, Coonoor, was back on duty Tuesday after being enlarged on bail Monday late evening. Tirupur district and principal sessions court judge Ganesan granted bail to judicial magistrate S. Thangaraj (31) on Monday.
In a related development, advocates of Tirupur boycotted the court, to condemn his arrest. On June 29, based on a complaint by woman sub-inspector Uma Maheswari, 30, personnel of the Palladam all woman police station arrested the judicial magistrate of the fast track court, Coonoor. However, he was released on bail and is back on duty.
PIL seeks extradition of LTTE man kp
Coimbatore: A public interest litigation has been filed in the Madras HC to order the extradition of Kumaran Padmanabha, a survivor of the Liberation of Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), currently detained in a prison in Sri Lanka. This will unravel the truth in the assassination of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi in May 1991.
In the petition, Mr J. Mohanraj, submitted that Kumaran Padmanabha, known as KP, knew secrets regarding the murder of Rajiv Gandhi. He alleged that using these secrets, the Lankan government was blackmailing the Indian government.
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