The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Plea against detention of Raghu under Goondas Act

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Feb 02, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Plea against detention of Raghu under Goondas Act

By V. Venkatasubramanian

KANCHEEPURAM, FEB. 1. A petition objecting to the detention of R. Raghu, brother of the junior Kanchi Sankaracharya, Sri Vijayendra Saraswathi, under the Goondas Act was submitted to the District Collector, R. Venkatesan today.

Mr. Raghu was arrested by the special investigation team, which is probing the Sankararaman murder case, on December 30, 2004 and was remanded to judicial custody the next day (December 31).

Subsequently, he, along with N. Sundaresa Iyer, Mutt manager, who was also arrested in connection with the murder on December 24, was detained under the Goondas Act on January 22. The detention orders, signed by the Collector, were served to them in the Chennai Central Prison.

As the Act, necessitates the filing of objections to the detention within 12 days, a petition was filed with the Collector, who is authorised to detain any person against whom the police forward a proposal for detention under the Goondas Act, said Ms. Revathi, counsel for Mr. Raghu. Counsel for Mr. Sundaresa Iyer has also forwarded a petition to the Collector.

Higher authorities moved

Meanwhile, enquiries reveal that counsel for the Kanchi Sankara Mutt have moved the higher judicial authorities seeking their help in getting copies of certain documents filed by the prosecution in the murder case in the Kancheepuram Judicial Magistrate Court-I.Though as defence lawyers, they were entitled to get copies of statements given by their clients under Section 161 of the Indian Penal Code, their pleas for such copies with the Magistrate Court failed to evoke positive response, they said.

Copies of the first information report, remand report and bail dismissal orders were served. This`` unusual practice'' impaired their efforts at filing and defending their case for bail applications moved by them on behalf of their clients in the lower court, they said.

Hence, petitions seeking appropriate directions have been forwarded to the Chief Justice of India, Supreme Court; the Chief Justice of the Madras High Court; the District Sessions Judge; and the Chief Judicial Magistrate. Petitions have also been sent to the National and State-level Human Rights Commissions.

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