CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Friday questioned Finance Minister N Marie Wilson’s repeated attempts to avoid appearing before a Puducherry court in a criminal case, observing that he was “not the King of England” to claim exemption from personal appearance.
Justice V Lakshminarayanan made the remarks while hearing Wilson’s petition seeking to quash a case registered by Lawspet police in Puducherry in 2022 on a complaint by his sister-in-law, Careline Claude. The case relates to allegations of assault involving Wilson, his brother and sister-in-law.
Wilson’s counsel sought exemption from appearance before the Puducherry Judicial Magistrate, citing the ongoing Assembly session. The judge rejected the argument and pointed out that even former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao had appeared before a court while holding office. “You are just a Minister. Let us not give an impression that a Minister is above the law,” the judge observed.
The case had earlier been referred for mediation as the complainant and accused are close relatives. However, Claude withdrew from the mediation process on August 20.
The High Court directed Wilson’s counsel to provide a date for his appearance before the Puducherry court. His counsel subsequently assured the court that he would appear after August 31. The quashing petition was then permitted to be withdrawn.