Chennai: The Madras HC granted anticipatory bail to 27 Dalits who apprehended arrest in connection with a clash between them and caste Hindus over temple worship on December 21 in Tiruvallur district.
Granting anticipatory bail, Justice K B K Vasuki, at a special sitting on Saturday, said that two of the 27 petitioners, Pradeep Kumar and Chandrasekar, should appear before the fifth metropolitan magistrate daily for 15 days, while the remaining should stay at Villupuram and appear before court there until further orders.
According to Vijendran, counsel for the petitioners, Pradeep Kumar had enrolled as an advocate on December 21. When he returned to his native village in Tiruvallur district that day, a large gathering of relatives, friends and villagers welcomed him as he is the first law graduate in his village.
While being taken in a procession, they worshipped at an Amman temple in Nambakkam village when they were brutally attacked and abused in the name of caste by caste Hindus.
Several of them sustained injuries and were admitted at the government general hospital in Tiruvallur. Pradeep Kumar, before getting admitted into the hospital, gave a complaint to police to take action against the culprits.
However, police did not register his complaint immediately, and instead received a complaint from Nagaiyan, a third party to the entire incident, and registered a case against 27 persons including Pradeep Kumar.
Thereafter, they registered the complaint against caste Hindus. Several special teams had been constituted to arrest the named persons. Police personnel were entering Dalit settlements and colonies. Hence, they had filed the present petitions, Vijendran added.
