In a dramatic turn of events, Tamil Nadu Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) HM Jayaram was arrested on Monday, moments after the Madras High Court made strong observations against him and Puratchi Bharatham Party MLA Poovai M Jagan Moorthy, who are suspected of having played a role in an abduction case (M Jaganmoorthy v. The Inspector of Police).
Justice P Velmurugan was dealing with an anticipatory bail plea by Moorthy, when he was told that the MLA was absconding and trying to escape the clutches of the law.
The judge proceeded to order the politician as well as ADGP Jayaram, who was also suspected of being involved in the case, to be personally present in Court in the afternoon.
After the MLA appeared personally before the Court, it refrained from ordering his arrest and instead directed him to cooperate with the investigation.
"Since he has appeared in person, he is directed to co-operate for the investigation being done by the Police," the Court said.
However, the Court added that the police should take action in accordance with the law against ADGP Jayaram.
"Since two of the accused had already been arrested, giving confession statement against the Additional Director General of Police, the respondent-Police is directed to secure and take action against the Additional Director General of Police in the manner known to law," it ordered.
According to media reports, the
cop was arrested shortly after the High Court order.
The case in which the ADGP and MLA Moorthy are accused of being involved concerns the abduction of a teenage boy, after his 23-year-old brother married a 21-year-old woman against her family's wishes.
The abducted teenager was reportedly released after his mother lodged a complaint. The police investigation led to the arrest of several people who were accused of carrying out the kidnapping. During police interrogation, some of the arrested accused are said to have alleged that MLA Moorthy was also involved in the abduction.
According to reports, the police tried to arrest MLA Moorthy from his residence on June 15, Sunday. However, the attempt failed. Around 2,000 Puratchi Bharatham Party cadres were said to have gathered at Moorthy's residence to obstruct the police's attempt at arresting the politician, who reportedly fled amid the commotion.
He then moved an anticipatory bail application. According to a report by The
Hindu, Senior Advocate S Prabakaran appeared for Moorthy before the High Court and argued that his client had no involvement in the abduction case. Yet, the police were determined to arrest him and subject him to custodial interrogation, he told the Court.
Additional Public Prosecutor (APP) A Damodaran maintained that the MLA was involved in the case.
According to The Hindu report, the APP told the Court that the case concerned a complaint by a woman named Lakshmi, whose elder son had fallen in love with a woman from Theni district and married her. The couple went into hiding after the marriage.
The State counsel added that the woman’s father, Vanaraja enlisted the help of Maheshwari, a former woman police constable who had been dismissed from service, to annul the marriage and bring his daughter back. Maheshwari reportedly approached the ADGP, who then took the matter to the MLA.
The report further said that the APP argued that the MLA’s associates had gone to Lakshmi’s residence with the intention to abduct her elder son. However, since he was not at home, they abducted her younger son (aged 16-18 years), who was asleep on the terrace. The youth was allegedly taken away by a group in two vehicles.
The APP informed the court that following the police search for the missing youth, the ADGP’s official vehicle was used to drop him near a bus stand. To evade police checks, the car was driven by a constable. Both Maheshwari and Vanaraja were also allegedly present in the ADGP’s official vehicle during this time.
APP Damodaran is further reported to have stated that five individuals have been arrested in connection with the case so far, including Maheshwari, Vanaraja and advocate Sarathkumar, who is affiliated with the MLA’s Puratchi Bharatham party.
He added that both the advocate and the former police constable had confessed to their involvement, and their statements directly implicated the MLA in the crime.
The APP reportedly added that 7.5 lakh had been recovered from the accused and maintained that only custodial interrogation could uncover further details.
The matter will be heard by the High Court next on June 26.
