Karunaas goes into hospital with ‘chest pain’, evades arrest

Karunaas’ lawyer, meanwhile, approached the Nungambakkam and Triplicane police stations and submitted the medical documents of Karunaas. 

The two police stations had registered cases against him. As per the bail conditions specified by the court, Karunaas is supposed to appear before the Nungambakkam police station at 8am and Triplicane police station at 10am everyday to comply with the bail conditions.

Police said the team from Tirunelveli wanted to conduct an enquiry with Karunaas in connection with a case of damaging the windshield of a car during a Thevar Peravai function last year. As Karunaas is now in hospital, they could not meet and inquire with him.

Nungambakkam police earlier arrested Karunaas for allegedly making an inflammatory speech against Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, Deputy CM O Panneerselvam and police officers at a meeting in Valluvar Kottam. Soon after he got bail in the case, the Triplicane police arrested him in connection with a pending case against him and his party workers for attacking IPL fans, who had come to watch a cricket match at the MAC Stadium in Chepauk, during a protest demanding the constitution of the Cauvery Management Board.

Karunaas was on Friday granted bail in the cases registered against him and he was released from Vellore prison on Saturday.

The DMK did not waste any time in expressing solidarity with Karunaas. The Opposition party was quick in deputing its district secretary (Chennai West) J Anbazhaghan to call on Karunaas at the hospital. 

Karunaas had earlier attended the mock Assembly convened by the DMK in protest against the alleged impartial behaviour of Speaker P Dhanapal. 

Emerging from the hospital, Anbazhagan told the media that the Speaker should not act against Karunaas in haste and he should wait for the third judge’s verdict on the 18 MLAs’ disqualification case. “If the court rules against the Speaker, he cannot be disqualified,” Anbazhagan remarked.