Accused in AIADMK symbol case taken to judge’s home

The police later took Sukesh Chandrasekhar to the residence of the concerned Metropolitan Magistrate.

Chandrasekhar was arrested by the crime branch of Delhi Police from a five-star hotel at New Delhi, was brought to Tis Hazari Courts (THC) within court hours at 4.30 pm but no judge was available to send him to police or judicial custody.

The court’s working hours are from 10 am to 5 pm.

The confusion regarding the concerned judge continued for over an hour as the police kept rushing from one court to another and finally took the accused to the house of the concerned judge in south Delhi.

During the day, the DCP of Delhi Police told reporters that Chandrashekhar would be taken to THC. After bringing him to the court complex, police took the accused to the court of four judges – Special Judges Poonam Chaudhry, M K Nagpal and Himani Malhotra and Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Satish Kumar Arora.

Thereafter, the police decided to take the accused to the residence of the concerned judge for his production. Even the advocate, prosecutor and investigator were in a dilemma on where to produce Chandrashekhar.

The case pertains to an alleged attempt to bribe an Election Commission official by AIADMK (Amma) leader TTV Dinakaran for trying to get the party’s poll symbol of ‘two leaves’ in a by-election to the R K Nagar Assembly seat in Tamil Nadu. Chandrashekhar was arrested on Sunday after which an FIR was lodged.

According to the police, Chandrasekhar’s links with Election Commission officials was being probed.

Sukesh had struck a deal for Rs 50 crore for helping the AIADMK faction to keep the ‘two leaves’ symbol, the police alleged, adding that Rs 1.30 crore has been recovered from Sukesh besides two cars — a BMW and a Mercedes.

The EC had frozen AIADMK’s symbol after two factions led by Sasikala and former chief minister O Panneerselvam staked a claim to it.

The bypoll to the R K Nagar Assembly constituency was scheduled for April 12, but the EC cancelled it, saying the electoral process had been “seriously vitiated” by parties through use of money power.

Dinakaran was the candidate of the Sasikala faction. The bypoll was necessitated following the death of Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on December 5.