Cops get Manikandan for two days to recover phone crucial to the case

When the appeal moved by the Chennai police challenging the rejection of five-day police custody by a magistrate’s court came up before him, Justice M Nirmalkumar granted two days’ custody (July 2 and 3).

The government counsel appearing for the police submitted that the former minister had used a particular mobile phone for exclusive conversation with the actress, the defacto complainant, which was at his house in Madurai. Hence, it was necessary to take Manikandan to his house to recover the phone, the advocate said.

But this met with strongly objection from Manikandan’s lawyer, senior counsel KS Dinakaran. However, Justice Nirmal Kumar granted two days’ custody while disposing of the appeal made by the Chennai police.

The 32-year-old actress had alleged in her complaint that Manikandan, who was in a live-in relationship with her for five years on the promise of marriage, impregnated her and forced her to undergo an abortion. He was on the run for a few days before being arrested from Bengaluru.