Chennai: The Madras high court on Monday granted conditional bail to a former AIADMK councillor and another person, arrested in connection with the death of a woman techie after a hoarding erected by them for a family wedding fell on her while she was riding a two-wheeler here.
Justice C. V. Karthikeyan directed AIADMK leader Jayagopal, nabbed on September 27 after being on the run for two weeks, to deposit Rs 25,000 in the account of the Adyar Cancer Institute here.
Allowing a fresh plea of Jayagopal and his brother-in-law Meganathan, the judge ordered them to execute separate bonds of Rs 25,000 each and two sureties for like sum. He also said Jayagopal should stay in Madurai and sign in the Thallakulam police station daily at 10.30 am till the final police report was filed before the jurisdictional magistrate court here. Meganathan was directed to appear before the investigating officers in the case here daily at 10.30 am until the final report was filed.
The two had on October 24 withdrawn their earlier joint bail application apparently anticipating rejection. Allowing the request, Justice Karthikeyan had then dismissed the petitions as withdrawn. On September 12, Subhasri (23) fell on the road after being knocked off her two-wheeler by a banner erected for the wedding of Jayagopal’s son.
She was crushed under the wheels of a truck that was coming from behind. The incident had triggered public outrage following which the AIADMK and the DMK gave an undertaking in the court that they had asked their cadres not to erect cut outs, flex boards or banners that would cause hindrance to the public.
Jayagopal, booked on charges of attempt to commit culpable homicide not amounting to murder, had contended that the illegal banners were erected during his son’s marriage by his party cadre out of love and affection and that he had no role in it. The two alleged that the police had mechanically added their names in the FIR with ulterior motives and wanted the court to enlarge them on bail.
