Madras HC grants one-day custody of accused to police

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court ordered that the two accused who surrendered in the Krishnagiri honour killing case can be taken into police custody and allowed to be interrogated for one day.

Dhandapani of Uthangarai, Krishnagiri, was enraged by his son Subash for inter-caste marriage.

Subsequently, Dhandapani hacked Subash and his grandmother Kannammal to death, while Subash’s wife Anusaya survived with grievous injuries.

The accomplices of Dhandapani in the killing, Nagaraj and Murali surrendered in the Salem court. The police filed a petition seeking permission to take Nagaraj and Murali into police custody to interrogate but the Krishnagiri judicial magistrate dismissed the plea.

Against this order the police moved the Madras high court seeking police custody. The plea came before Justice G Chandrasekharan.

The counsel of the accused said that there is no need to investigate the surrendered accused while the police had already investigated the prime accused, Dhandapani. Government advocate S Santhosh said that the petition seeking police custody was delayed by the Krishnagiri court.

He also argued that the petition should have been taken on the day of filing, considering the nature of the crime.

After both arguments, the judge allowed the police to take the duo into custody for a day and interrogate.