Madras HC stays case against PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss

The Madras High Court today stayed proceedings in a case pending against PMK youth-wing leader Anbumani Ramadoss in a lower court for allegedly threatening an election official during the 2014 Lok Sabha poll campaign in Dharmapuri constituency.
Justice M Ramesh gave the interim order on a petition by Ramadoss seeking to quash the proceedings pending against him in the Judicial Magistrate-I Court in Dharmapuri.
The proceedings related to a case registered against Ramadoss for allegedly threatening and preventing a tahsildar from discharging his official duties on April 22, 2014.
The judge also dispensed with the personal appearance of Ramadoss, 49, before the trial court, and posted the matter to January 8 for further hearing.

A case was filed against Ramadoss, who was elected to the Lok Sabha from Dharmapuri in the elections, and eight others on a complaint from tahsildar Gunasekaran, who alleged that he was prevented from discharging his duties by the accused and threatened.
Ramadoss contended that the allegations were baseless, vexatious and politically motivated to curtail his political activities.

He alleged that the police prepared a chargesheet with an ulterior motive to tarnish his image and reputation before the public and demean his political career.
He also claimed that the complainant, the tahsildar, himself admitted that Ramadoss was campaigning at some other place and the party cadres alone picked up a quarrel with him.

Even accepting the prosecution case to be true, there was no averment whatsoever that the petitioner directed the other accused to commit the alleged offences.
Hence, the allegations made in the complaint were surmises and conjectures and liable to be set aside, Ramadoss said.