Madras HC allows victim time to DMK MLA's son, daughter-in-law plea

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court (MHC) granted further time to the alleged victim girl to file counter to the bail plea of DMK MLA Karunanidhi's son and daughter-in-law in the case booked for allegedly physically abusing an 18-year-old housemaid.

The case was listed before Justice M Nirmal Kumar. Senior counsel John Sathyan appeared for the accused couple and submitted that his clients were incarcerated for more than 30 days in a foisted case and sought for bail.

The counsel for the alleged victim sought for further time to file counter to the bail plea. After the submission, the judge posted the matter to February 23 for further submission.

A video testimony of a girl from Ulundurpet, Kallakurichi, belonging to the Scheduled Castes (SC) went viral on social media as she narrated how she was tormented by the MLA's daughter-in-law. She alleged that the MLA's son Anto Madhivanan and daughter-in-law Marlena Ann assaulted her and abused her with casteist slurs.

Based on the information from the video testimony, police reached the victim girl for her statement and booked a case against the couple under various sections including SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act 1989.

The special team arrested the couple Anto Madhivanan and Maria Ann on January 25 in Andhra Pradesh.

Subsequently, the couple filed a bail petition before the Madras High Court, which was then transferred to the principal sessions judge, Chennai.

After hearing the contentions of the couple the sessions court dismissed the bail plea on February 6 and subjected them under judicial custody.