Proceedings against recreation club stayed

CHENNAI : The Madras High Court has stayed all further proceedings on a criminal case pending before the XIV Metropolitan Magistrate in Egmore against C Saravanan, president of the Gold Youth Movement Recreation Club in Nungambakkam.Justice N Anand Venkatesh granted the injunction on Tuesday while passing interim orders on a criminal original petition from Saravanan. The stay will be valid for eight weeks, when the police are required to file its counter.

According to advocate Abudukumar Rajarathinam, the police conducted a raid on the club premises on September 22 last and registered a case on the charge that it had breached the terms and conditions of the licence and the permit granted. It had allowed non-members to consume liquor and thereby violated the provisions of the TN Prohibition Act.

The police have also arrested two persons manning the club and remanded them in judicial custody.
Abudukumar contended that the final report filed by the police suffered from complete non-application of mind and so, it is liable to be quashed. As per the conditions, the club can serve liquor to its members as also to their guests. The police, not being aware of this, just to implicate the petitioner, has registered the case against the prevailing law, he said.