Court grants anticipatory bail to Cong MLAs, others

Madurai, Mar 5: The Madurai Bench of the

on Wednesday granted conditional anticipatory bail to Congress MLAs J G Prince and John Jacob and 11 others in connection with a case registered against them for allegedly attacking "Naam Tamizhar Iyakkam" activists on March 1.

Police had registered cases against them on a complaint by Naam Tamizhar Iyakkam (NTI)leader John Cilin Xavier Raj under various sections of IPC including 147 (punishment for rioting). In his complaint Raj alleged that about 200 Congress men including the MLAs, assembled near their meeting venue in Tiruvattar on March one and attacked them with clubs and acid and took away two mike sets besides damaging electrical fittings.

The MLAs and others said they had permission to hold the meeting in Thiruvattar and the NTI members gathered "unlawfully" and tried to demolish the Rajiv Gandhi statue near the venue, protesting against the review petition filed by the Centre in Supreme court against the orders of Tamil Nadu Government to release the convicts in Rajiv Gandhi assassination case.

They said they only tried to protect the statue and did not indulge in any violence. They apprehended arrest in the case and sought anticipatory bail in the court. While granting anticipatory bail, Justice R S Ramanathan directed them to appear before police as and when required by them for investigation.

PTI