NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday granted K V Kuppam MLA ‘Poovai’ M Jagan Moorthy anticipatory bail in the case of alleged kidnapping of a teen. A bench of Justices Manoj Misra and N Kotiswar Singh also issued notice to the Tamil Nadu police on the appeal filed by the MLA, president of Puratchi Bharatham Katchi, against the Madras High Court’s June 27 order rejecting his plea for an anticipatory bail. “If the petitioner is arrested in connection with FIR registered at Thiruvalangadu police station, he shall be released on personal bond of Rs 25, 000 subject to the undertaking that he shall cooperate in the investigation and will not threaten the witnesses or tamper the evidence,” the SC bench said.Senior Advocate Siddharth Luthra, appearing for Moorthy, argued that the MLA has been framed in the case on the basis of a confession statement of a co-accused without any direct or corroborative evidence linking him to the alleged offence. The case is politically motivated and intended to tarnish his image, Moorthy’s counsel said. “The relevant facts were omitted to be considered by the court and instead the HC had drawn adverse remarks against the petitioner,” he argued.Luthra contended that even assuming that the applicant (Moorthy) interacted with one of the parties to the dispute that may be considered for the purposes of settling the issue. In any event, no custodial interrogation was required, he said.The prosecution had alleged that the elder son of the complainant (mother of the teen) married a woman from Theni district on April 15. The FIR said the bride’s father conspired with the MLA and ADGP H M Jayaram to find out the whereabouts of the couple. A gang then kidnapped the complainant’s younger son on June 7. However, when the police intensified the search, he was dropped near the Perumbakkam bus stand within a few hours of his abduction in the official car of the ADGP to escape police search, the prosecution had alleged.
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