The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Madurai News : Councillor gets anticipatory bail

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Friday, May 20, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Madurai

Councillor gets anticipatory bail

Staff Reporter

Inspector objects, claims she might tamper with evidence

MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Thursday granted anticipatory bail to a Madurai Corporation Councillor, S. Amutha, accused of murdering her husband, Sonaimuthu. Justice A.R. Ramalingam directed the Member to appear before the investigating officer daily until further orders.

According to the prosecution, an unidentified body of a man was found on a sugarcane field at Thanichiyam village under Vadipatti police station limits on November 9, 2003 and a case under Section 174 Cr.P.C. (death under suspicious circumstances) was registered. On the same day, Amutha and her relatives were called to the village and were asked to identify the body. However, the councillor failed to identify it.

But later in the day, she preferred a man-missing case with the Madurai Railway Station police, that her husband was missing since November 1 with six sovereigns of gold chain, Rs.10,000 in cash and an ATM card. The case was transferred to the Thideer Nagar police station for want of jurisdiction.

Investigations revealed that Amutha had developed an illicit relationship with a fellow councillor while her husband was abroad.

And when Sonaimuthu got wind of the affair on his return to Madurai, he had frequently beaten his wife in the presence of her relatives and ill-treated her. In order to take vengeance against her husband, the councillor, with the help of her brother and his associates, killed Sonaimuthu and transported his body to Thanichiyam.

The police contended that the councillor herself had removed the gold chain of the deceased and had even used the ATM card after her husband's murder to draw money from his account.

In his counter affidavit before the Bench, the Inspector of police, Thideer Nagar police station, stated that one of the accused, Velmurugan, was arrested on March 31, 2005 and based on his confession three others, Duraipandi, Jeffrey and Dorri Radha were arrested. While two others, Dharmar and Jagadeesan, surrendered before the Judicial Magistrate in Manamadurai on April 4, another person, Elangovan surrendered before the Judicial Magistrate, Tirumangalam.The Inspector submitted that confession statements were recorded from the accused and the weapons and vehicle used for transporting the body were seized.

The Superimposition of the skull also matched with the photograph of Sonaimuthu, he said.

Pointing out that two anticipatory bail petitions moved by Ms. Amutha were dismissed by the Principal District and Sessions Judge here on April 8 and 29, he said the councillor was "evading from the clutches of law" and did not even attend council meetings held on May 4 and 5.

He strongly objected granting anticipatory bail to her, claiming she might tamper with the evidence.

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