List cases before spl bench hearing, Ponn Manickavel moves HC

CHENNAI: After a single judge ordered a CBI investigation against former idol wing chief Ponn Manickavel, the retired officer, had on Monday filed a sub-application before a Madras HC for a direction to the registry to list all the idol theft cases only before a special division bench that has been hearing the idol theft cases.

The retired IPS officer’s counsel V Selvaraj mentioned the above submission before the bench comprising Justice R Mahadevan and Justice PD Audikesavalu.

According to Manickavel, while this bench has been monitoring the cases related to the idol theft, three criminal original petitions in connection with the idol theft cases were heard by a single judge.

“In a plea by Kadher Batcha, a former inspector in the idol wing, the single judge had ordered the CBI to investigate the idol theft case of Palavoor temple in Tirunelveli. There was an interim order in the Mylapore Temple peacock theft case not to file the final report and the final order passed by the single judge stated that if the final report was not filed within four months of the order, the FIR will stand automatically quashed, ” Manickavel’s counsel submitted.

He further stated that the single judge had transferred the Somaskandar idol theft case from the idol wing to the Siva Kanchi police station.

“It is not permissible for any court other than the court which has been monitoring the idol theft cases to pass any order in the matter of investigation and trial. This affects the purity of the administration of justice, ” Ponn Manickavel noted.