After 4 days of questioning, Delhi police arrest Dinakaran in bribery case

After four days of questioning, AIADMK (Amma) leader T T V Dhinakaran was tonight arrested by Delhi Police for allegedly attempting to bribe an Election Commission official to get the undivided AIADMK's 'two leaves' election symbol for his faction.

Dhinakaran reached the Crime Branch Inter State Cell office in Chanakyapuri at 5 PM. He was arrested after being questioned for close to six hours, Praveer Ranjan, joint commissioner of police (crime), said.

His longtime friend Mallikarjuna was also arrested after being quizzed for the second day on the trot, he said.

Mallikarjuna had been accompanying Dhinakaran everywhere ever since Sukesh Chandrasekar, the middleman in the EC bribery case, was arrested, police said.

Sources said that Dhinakaran's PA Janardhana has agreed to be a witness in the case.

Dhinakaran had yesterday confessed to meeting Chandrasekar, assuming he was a high court judge. He had, however, denied that he paid money to the middleman for retaining the party's poll symbol.

The controversial AIADMK leader had come under the scanner after the arrest of Chandrasekar and had maintained that he never met him.

He was earlier summoned by Delhi Police at his Chennai residence in the case.

Dhinakaran, who was appointed deputy general secretary by AIADMK chief V S Sasikala, has been isolated in his party amid moves to merge rival factions led by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister EK Palaniswami and his predecessor O Panneerselvam.

A powerful section of the ruling AIADMK (Amma) recently revolted against the Sasikala-Dhinakaran leadership. The development came after Panneerselvam, who is leading the rival faction, demanded ouster of Sasikala and Dhinakaran as a condition for merger talks.