Writ petition filed in HC on disappareance of former MLA

Chennai, Jul 24 (UNI) A writ petition was today filed in Madras High Court, seeking fresh investigation into the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of former MLA M K Balan.

The petition was likely to come up for hearing tomorrow.

In his petition, B Manimaran, son of M K Balan, reiterated that Sasikala Natarajan, a close aide of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa and suspended DIG Md Alik had a role in the disappearance of his father.

Mr Balan went out for a walk on December 30, 2001 and did not return home. Pursuant to the Habeas Corpus Petition (HCP) filed by Mr Manimaran, the police said his father was kidnapped by a gang and murdered.

A Fast Track Court had convicted 13 persons and acquitted two others in the case. Their criminal appeal against conviction was pending before the High Court. According to police, one of the accused Romitha Mary allegedly mimicked the voice of Ms Sasikala and gave instruction to the assailants to murder Balan. After the HCP, the police and law officers were desperate to prevent the case being transferred to CBI, he alleged.

He contended that he had reasons to believe that his father was kidnapped by the police and also had reasons to believe that the allegation that his father was killed and cremated was a fictitious story.'' Real truth was hidden by the police. The police and the law officer conspired together to save the real accused.

The entire prosecution appears to be false and no proper investigation was carried out,'' he alleged.

He had reasons to believe that Ms Sasikala and Police were involved in the kidnap of his father. He reliably felts that according to one of the accused, they were commanded by Sasikala to collect Rs 16 crore due to her and a leading Industrialist. Since his father did not agree to pay the money, they (assailants) killed him, he alleged.

Ms Sasikala was not examined. He contended that he did not file a petition due to the prevailing atmosphere. Ms Sasikala's involvement was apparent and explicit, he alleged.

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