Farmer's suicide:HC grants advance bail to seven executives

The Madras High Court today granted anticipatory bail to seven officials of Cholamandalam Investment and Finance Company Limited in a case relating to the alleged suicide of a farmer in Ariyalur district.
After arguments, Justice K Kalyanasundaram, before whom the anticipatory bail petitions came up, granted advance bail to senior executives-- R Balamurugan, R Muthusamy, L Manivannan, V Senthil Kumar, S Venkatesh, A Annadurai, M Rajesh Senior.
According to the prosecution, Alagar of Orathur village in Ariyalur district took a Rs seven lakh loan to purchase a tractor. He paid Rs 5.1 lakh and for the remaining sum he issued post-dated cheques and the registered certificate of the vehicle was also deposited with the company.

As the payment of five instalments were due, a Manager and six others came from the finance company on March 10 to Alagar's house and took the farmer to a place called V Kaikuttai to take a photograph of the tractor.
As Alagar refused to get off the tractor, he was reportedly threatened and scolded in filthy language. Humiliated, Alagar allegedly committed suicide by drinking poison.
Denying the role of the petitioners in the death, counsel for petitioners S.Prabakaran, President of Tamil Nadu Advocates Association and member, Bar Council of Tamil Nadu, submitted that a loan of Rs.4.43 lakh was taken in May, 2013 by Alagar which was to be repaid within 12 months and as on date his due was Rs.2.81 lakh.

Inspection of the vehicle was a mandatory procedure as the contract was overdue by one year and it was considered a non-performing asset. The vehicle was with a cement company and used for transport of cement instead of the intended agricultural purposes, it was submitted.
The petitioners submitted that Alagar committed suicide on March 10 and the body was cremated without post-mortem and no complaint was lodged till March 12. On March 13, Alagar's father made a complaint to police.
Counsel for the petitioners argued that the money which was given by Alagar's father was spent by him without depositing it with the finance company and the father shouted at Alagar, which may have resulted in him consuming poison due to humiliation and it was not the petitioners who were responsible for the death.