CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has said there was no valid ground to interfere with the en masse arrests of AIADMK cadres and their "mechanical" remand to judicial custody.

A Division Bench comprising Justices P. Sathasivam and S. Tamilvanan, dismissing a habeas corpus petition filed by the party MLA, V.P. Kalairajan, said: "The persons shown as detenus in these petitions were arrested for various offences, subsequently produced before the Magistrate and, on the orders of the Magistrate, all of them were remanded to judicial custody."

Maintaining that there was no valid ground to interfere with the matter by invoking the writ jurisdiction of the High Court, the judges referred to the Additional Public Prosecutor's submission that arrested persons were not innocents. "Most of them were involved in several previous offences, and cases relating thereto are still pending," they said, adding that some of them had been detained under the Goondas Act.

On the submission that some of the arrested persons were going to act as agents of candidates contesting in local body elections, the judges said, "they are free to approach the magistrate to advance the hearing of their bail applications."

Polling officers' guide

In another case, the First Bench of the court disposed of a writ petition filed by N. Balaganga of the AIADMK, after the Government Pleader submitted that provisions of the Polling Officers' Guide issued by the State Election Commissioner and the model code of conduct would be strictly implemented during polling.

Apprehends malpractices

Mr. Balaganga, apprehending malpractices by the ruling partymen, had prayed for a direction to videograph the entire polling process and to restrict the entry of outsiders into areas going to the polls.

Pointing out that the Government Pleader had assured the court that only authorised persons could enter the polling booths and that necessary circulars had already been issued, the Bench comprising Chief Justice A.P. Shah and Justice K. Chandru said no further orders were necessary.

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