The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Madurai News : Police move HC Bench to cancel Mayor's bail

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Nov 09, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Madurai

Police move HC Bench to cancel Mayor's bail

Staff Reporter

MADURAI: The police have moved the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court to cancel the bail granted to the Madurai Mayor, C. Ramachandran, in a culpable homicide case.

The sixth Judicial Magistrate here had released the accused on conditional bail on October 31.

According to the prosecution, a Bharatiya Janata Party councillor, Pandeeswari alias Pandiselvi, lost her life when a car in which she was travelling dashed against a Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation bus heading towards Kariapatti on October 25.

The same day, a person surrendered before the police claiming to have driven the car, owned by the Mayor, at the time of occurrence of the crime.

Subsequent investigation pointed the accusing finger towards the Mayor and he was arrested in Tiruchi on October 30. But the very next day, when he was produced before the Magistrate for being remanded to judicial custody, he was let out on bail. In his affidavit before the Bench, the Thirupparankundram circle inspector of police who is the investigating officer in the case, said the magistrate had granted bail to the accused on the first remand itself even without ordering notice to the prosecution, which was against the principles of law and natural justice.

Pointing out that culpable homicide was a non-bailable offence and could be tried only by the Sessions Court, the officer said the magistrate "strangely" went into the evidence at the initial stage and came to a conclusion that the offence was not made out. Since the accused had already attempted to "tamper with the evidence," he apprehended that the accused might continue to do so if allowed to move freely on bail.

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