The Madras High Court on Thursday granted bail to DMK MLA L. Idhayavarman, his brother L. Nirmal and nine others in a case booked against them for using illegal firearms to settle a land dispute with the legislator’s neighbour in Tiruporur, Chengalpattu district, on July 11.
Justice N. Sathish Kumar granted the relief on condition that the MLA should sign before the Vellore Town police station every day after his release.
The judge recorded that the petitioner had volunteered to donate ₹3 lakh to the Cancer Institute, Adyar.
Making it clear that the money should be donated within a week of his release, the judge said that the bail would stand cancelled if the undertaking given by senior counsel R. Shunmugasundaram, on behalf of his client, was not honoured.
As far as the MLA’s brother and the nine other petitioners were concerned, the judge said that they could stay in Chengalpattu and report before the Tiruporur police every day.
Three FIRs filed
He pointed out that the police had registered as many as three first information reports (FIRs) regarding the incident.
One of the FIRs was filed on the basis of a complaint lodged by a local resident, G. Srinivasan, who was reportedly passing through the scene of crime to purchase pesticides on that day. He saw two groups indulging in a violent altercation.
According to the complainant, the MLA was holding a single-barrel breach loading gun on one hand and a pistol on the other, and firing indiscriminately at a gang led by his neighbour G. Kumar. Then, two ball projectiles hit the complainant, injuring his fingers, leg and back.
Thereafter, two more FIRs were registered — one on the basis of a complaint lodged at the instance of Kumar’s gang and another on the basis of a complaint from the MLA’s side. In his complaint, the neighbour accused the MLA of having opened fire against him.
However, in his bail petition, the MLA said that it was his father Lakshmipathi who opened fire when Kumar’s gang attempted to kill him with machetes and bill hooks. The MLA claimed that neither he nor his brother were present at the scene of occurrence.
Mr. Shunmugasundaram also stated that the licence for the firearms used by the MLA’s father had expired only on December 31, 2019, and that the renewal applications were pending with the Collector. Therefore, there was no question of having used illegal arms, he said. However, the judge left all other issues to be decided during the course of trial and said that observations made in the bail order should not be relied upon by the trial court.