3 Cops Charged With Contempt For Trying To Arrest Accused From Courtroom

The Madras High Court today initiated contempt proceedings against three policemen for trying to arrest a murder accused from inside a courtroom in Tirupur district, where he had appeared to surrender.

A bench of Chief Justice Indira Banerjee and Justice PT Asha initiated the contempt proceedings against Inspector Muniswaran, Head Constable Robert and Constable Velan, a police vehicle driver, of Singanallur police station, involved in trying to drag the accused out of the courtroom in presence of its presiding officer on April 10.

The bench began the contempt proceedings taking a serious view of the incident.

Deprecating the incident, Chief Justice Banerjee observed that "such an action was against the Supreme Court guidelines and would not be tolerated."

The bench initiated the contempt action on the basis of a letter dated April 11 from Tiruppur chief judicial magistrate to the registrar general of the high court, apprising the high court of the police action.

The bench posted the matter to July 2 after Additional Advocate General Manishankar sought time to furnish a status report on the incident.

The AAG submitted that the state director general of police has already been informed about the matter and assured the court that such incidents would not recur.

The incident occurred on April 10 when Santhosh (29), an accused in the murder of an autorickshaw driver, came with his lawyer to the judicial magistrate court in Tirupur to surrender.

Even as he was standing before the magistrate, the police team tried to arrest him forcibly. The lawyers present in the courtroom, however, foiled the attempt.