Chennai: The idol wing special investigation team has informed the Madras high court that it would not arrest TVS motor company chairman, Venu Srinivasan, for a period of six weeks in connection with an idol theft case.
When the anticipatory bail plea filed by the industrialist came up before a Special Division Bench comprising Justices R. Mahadevan and P.D. Audikesavulu on Friday, the idol wing police who were in the court, gave the undertaking that the team would not arrest him for six weeks.
The police informed this before the bench even before B. Kumar, senior counsel for the petitioner, commenced his arguments. The bench after recording the undertaking of the idol wing police, posted the matter after six weeks.
On Thursday, Venu Srinivasan moved court seeking anticipatory bail in connection with an idol theft case registered before Mylapore police station.
In his application, Srinivasan cited a writ plea filed by advocate ‘Elephant’ G. Rajendran which refers to the FIR against him. Srinivasan said, he understood that an FIR was registered by the Mylapore police, and later it was transferred to the CB-CID Idol Wing.
The FIR against the industrialist alleges that he replaced an antique peacock idol with a new one at the Sri Kapaleeswarar temple, and the FIR was registered based on a complaint lodged from a devotee, Rangarajan Narasimhan.
Stating that he was innocent, Srinivasan submitted that he spent around Rs 70 lakh in 2004 from his personal fund for undertaking painting and flooring work at the Sri Kapaleeswarar temple. Though he was appointed a member of the government-constituted Temple Renovation Committee, the officials of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department had also supervised the renovation.
