[Creva4k]

While Union minister M.K.Alagiri on Tuesday surrendered before a sub court and obtained bail in the controversial tahsildar attack case registered against him in the run-up to the Assembly polls, the Madurai Bench of the Madras high court dismissed the petition filed by the election official seeking transfer of investigation of the case to another district police.

Since the period of anticipatory bail granted by the Madras high court almost came to an end, Mr Alagiri and deputy Mayor P.M.Mannan appeared before Melur judicial magistrate H.Jesima Jasmine and obtained bail after executing two surety bonds each.

Accompanied by DMK district functionaries, the Union minister arrived at the Melur court at about 10.30 am.

He was asked to wait till his bail petition came up.

Mr Alagiri spent about halfan-hour in the court before he was given bail.

Union minister Alagiri, accompanied by DMK district functionaries, arrived at the Melur court at about 10.30 am. He was asked to wait till his bail petition came up. He spent about half-an-hour in the court and after getting enlarged on bail, he immediately got into his vehicle and sped away.
Mr Alagiri, Mannan and two other functionaries A.P. Raghupathy and Tirugnanam have been charged with attacking the then Melur tahsildar and assistant returning officer M.Kalimuthu and preventing him from discharging his election duty during their visit to a temple in the constituency to canvass for votes ahead of the polls.

Keezhavazhavu police had registered a case. The other two functionaries had obtained bail last month.
In a related development, the Madurai Bench of Madras high court dismissed the petition filed by Kalimuthu praying that the police outside the district investigate the case. The Bench had earlier stayed the probe into the case after the official filed a petition denying being attacked by the minister and his men. Mr Kalimuthu had alleged that he had complained against the minister only on the direction of district collector U.Sagayam and SP Asra Garg.

When the petition came up for final hearing before justice B.Rajendran on Tuesday, the tahsildar’s counsel sought to withdraw the petition following which it was treated as dismissed.

Now that the stay stands vacated due to the dismissal of the petition, decks have been cleared for the Keezhavazhavu police to file chargesheet against the minister and his men in the election-related criminal case.


DC Chennai