St Thomas Mount murder: Accused moves HC to quash detention

CHENNAI: D Sathish (31), of Alandur, Chennai, approached the Madras High Court to quash the order of detention dated November 4 passed under the Goondas Act against him. Sathish was arrested on October 14 on charges of murdering a college-going girl by pushing her before the EMU train in the St Thomas Mount suburban railway station.

A division bench of Justice PN Prakash and Justice RMT Teekaa Raman passed a direction to the state government to file within eight weeks its response to the petition moved by the Sathish.

According to the detenue, police did not serve with a copy of the impugned order, grounds for invoking the Goondas Act against him.

“There is no urgency and necessity to pass the detention order by the city police commissioner under the Goondas Act. The order was passed without revealing the reasonable causes for the detention. Not even an intimation was given regarding the detention order. The police have passed the order without application of the mind,” the petitioner submitted through his counsel.

He further submitted that though he made three representations to the authorities to revoke the detention order under the Goondas Act, they were not considered by the authorities.

“The accused was arrested on October 14 and was remanded on the same day. However, the police invoked the Goondas Act only on November 4. This shows the delay in passing the order by the Greater Chennai City Police Commissioner,” the accused said in his affidavit.