Tamil Nadu: No bail in assault case; new land grab case filed, former minister Jayakumar to stay in jail

CHENNAI: In a double blow to former AIADMK minister D Jayakumar, a sessions court refused him bail in an attempt to murder case and Tamil Nadu government slapped a new land grab case on him on Friday.
A small consolation was the fact that a magistrate court declined to send him to five-day police custody as demanded by the prosecution.
“Considering the gravity and nature of the offences, the victim is still under treatment, preliminary stage of the investigation, the short period of incarceration and also the serious objections aised on the side of prosecution and intervener, the court is of the view that the petitioner/accused should not be released on bail at present,” said principal sessions judge S Alli in her order on Friday.
Jayakumar is in jail since February 21 after being arrested for attacking, disrobing and parading a DMK worker during polling to urban local bodies on February 19.
While in custody for the assault and disrobing case, another case of protest and endangering others during pandemic was registered against him.
He was formally arrested in connection with the case while he was still in custody. However, a magistrate court granted him bail in that case on Thursday.
Now, a third case, of land grab, has been filed against the former minister.
According to the land grab cases cell of the Central Crime Branch (CCB) here, Jayakumar threatened a landowner and purchased a property valued at Rs 5 crore at a cheap rate.
These legal troubles will keep Jayakumar in jail for a few more days, as he needs to get bail in at least in two cases, including one from the high court.
Earlier in the day, a magistrate court at George Town declined to send him to police custody saying: “Custodial interrogation is an extreme step in a criminal investigation. The apex court has held that police custody could be given mainly in heinous offences. Though the offence of attempt to murder has been included in the case, considering the nature of the incident, which is fully available in form of video, this cannot be considered as a case involving heinous offence,” A Muralikrishna Anandan, 15th metropolitan magistrate held.