Home India Politics Jail told not to reject outright pleas to visit PMK leader

Jail told not to reject outright pleas to visit PMK leader

By IANS,

Chennai : The Madras High Court observed Wednesday that petitions of senior leaders of the PMK to visit jailed colleague Kaduvetti Guru should be examined by prison authorities on merit and not rejected outright.

Judge A. Kulasekharan ordered the government to look at such pleas on individual merits. It issued the order when petitioner and PMK legislator G.K. Mani alleged that the state government in its “continuing vendetta” against his party was preventing basic needs of detainee Guru.

Guru was detained under the National Security Act (NSA) July 5 after his arrest in a case of an attempt to murder AIADMK workers. He has been housed in the Tiruchirappalli central prison.

This was the follow-up of the PMK’s ouster from the ruling DMK-led Democratic Progressive Alliance in mid-May following sharp utterances by Guru against Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi.

Another senior leader of the party was arrested Monday on charges of fraud.

The PMK has termed these actions political vendetta, a charge denied by the ruling DMK.

The PMK founder, Dr S. Ramadoss, has also sought the central government intervention for the release of Guru, saying the NSA was not applicable in the detention which has no provision for bail for at least one year.