SC grants 6 weeks protection from arrest to expelled AIADMK MP

The Supreme Court today granted protection from arrest to Rajya Sabha MP Sasikala Pushpa for six weeks in a sexual harassment case filed by her two domestic aides.
A bench headed by Chief Justice T S Thakur said that the High Court will expeditiously decide the anticipatory bail application of the expelled AIADMK leader
The bench also comprising justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud said that the High Court will take a decision on her application uninfluenced by the order of the apex court.
Senior advocate Siddharth Luthra appearing for Pushpa said that she is not going to run away.

"She is a Rajya Sabha MP and due to some technical problem in vakalatnama, the High Court has asked her to appear before it," he added.
Luthra said that she may be arrested once she enters Tamil Nadu.

Earlier, on August 11, Delhi High Court had asked Tamil Nadu government not to take any coercive action till August 22 against the expelled AIADMK MP, her husband and their son who are facing the harassment case.
The High Court had also asked the petitioners to approach the appropriate court in Tamil Nadu for relief by then.
The court had, however, refrained from passing any order staying the proceedings in the case.

The domestic servants, who reportedly worked at Pushpa's house in Tamil Nadu, had filed a police complaint alleging that they were tortured.
Earlier, the Delhi High Court had directed the police to escort Sasikala to Parliament so she can discharge her duty safely.
It had also issued notice to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and Delhi Police seeking their response on Pushpa's plea in which she has sought security for her while attending Rajya Sabha session.
Acting on directions of Madras High Court bench, police
yesterday registered cases against expelled AIADMK member and her two family members for allegedly submitting forged documents while filing anticipatory bail petitions in the case pertaining to ill-treatment and sexual abuse of two women domestic aides.

Police had registered cases under IPC Sections 193 (punishment for false evidence), 466 (forgery of record of court or of public register), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating) and 471 (using as genuine a forged {document or electronic record).
The cases were registered against Pushpa, her husband R Lingeswara Thilagam and son Pradeep Raja.
On September 14, court had dismissed the anticipatory bail plea of Sasikala Pushpa and her three family members, including her mother, on a complaint filed by the two women domestic aides.
They are facing charges under various IPC sections and also POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act for allegedly sexually harassing the domestic women aides.

On August 26, the Supreme Court had granted protection from arrest to Sasikala for six weeks in the case and said the High Court would expeditiously decide her anticipatory bail application, uninfluenced by its decision.
Sasikala was expelled from AIADMK after an alleged altercation with DMK MP Tiruchi Siva at the Delhi airport. Since then she has alleged that she was being threatened to resign from her post.