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HC grants conditional bail to Azhagiri

By Our Staff Reporter

CHENNAI AUG. 11. The Madras High Court today granted conditional bail to the DMK president, M. Karunanidhi's son, M.K. Azhagiri, who was arrested in Madurai on May 21 in connection with the murder of the former Minister, T. Kiruttinan.

Justice V. Kanagaraj granted him bail, saying that with Mr. Azhagiri's custody for 82 days already over, the prosecution was not justified in saying investigation was still going on.

The judge directed Mr. Azhagiri to stay in Bangalore and sign before the principal sessions judge there daily. He was asked to execute a personal bond for Rs. 25,000 and execute two sureties for a like sum each to the satisfaction of VI judicial magistrate in Madurai.

Mr. Justice Kanagaraj also said that despite a lapse of 18 days when the first bail petition was dismissed by the High Court, the prosecution was still saying investigation was not yet over. Citing that one of the accused surrendered after the first application had been dismissed, the judge said there was certainly a change of circumstances.

The judge also recorded Mr. Azhagiri's contention that two of the accused, who were alleged to be absconding, were actually in the `illegal custody' of the police. Mr. Azhagiri had also argued that investigation, so far as his role in the case concerned, was completed and his detention was not required any more.

Charge sheet soon

Our Madurai Staff Reporter reports:

Meanwhile, the special team investigating the Kiruttinan murder case is all set to file charge sheets in a Madurai court next week.

According to police sources, the charge sheets would be filed ahead of completion of 90 days after the arrest of the prime accused, including Mr. Azhagiri, and senior DMK functionaries, P.M. Mannan, `Essar' Gobi, Mubarak Manthiri and `Karate' Siva.

Besides on the timing of the murder, which occurred when a "simmering" discontent between two factions of the DMK was at its "peak" following differences over seat-sharing in organisation polls, the police are banking on the statements given by some cadres, who were witness to a meeting at which the "conspiracy to kill Kiruttinan" was hatched.

The investigators also claimed to have traced a few calls made by the assailants and their accomplices to Mr. Azhagiri before and after the commission of the murder at K.K. Nagar in Madurai on May 20.

The kin of the deceased, including his younger brother, T. Ramiah, deposed before special magistrates in support of their statements recorded by the police accusing Mr. Azhagiri of conspiring the killing, the sources said.

So far 13 persons were arrested.

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