Jaya helps 10 arrested Tamils get bail in AP court

Ten persons from Tamil Nadu, arrested by Andhra Pradesh forest personnel while on a 'pilgrimage' on the charge of smuggling red sanders, have been granted bail by a court in Tirupati, following the intervention of Chief Minister Jayalalithaa.

The Tirupati court granted bail to the ten persons, hailing from Tuticorin District, after Jayalalithaa deputed two government advocates to move the court with the help of local lawyers, an official release said here tonight.

The state government acted based on the pleas of relatives of the accused, seeking their release.

The 10 persons were on pilgrimage to Tirupati when they were arrested at a check-post, the release said, adding they had been lodged in a Chittoor prison since February 16 last.