Edappadi K. Palaniswami files contempt of court petition against Salem Central Crime Branch officers

Edappadi K. Palaniswami files contempt petition against Salem Central Crime Branch officers for having reportedly disobeyed an interim order not to precipitate a case registered against him in 2021 election affidavit case

Leader of the Opposition and former Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami has filed a contempt of court petition in the Madras High Court against Salem Central Crime Branch (CCB) inspector D. Pushparani and sub-inspector C. Gunasekar for having reportedly disobeyed an interim order not to precipitate a case registered against him recently for having allegedly provided wrong information about his wealth and education in the 2021 election affidavit.

Justice G.K. Ilanthiraiyan on Friday granted time till July 7 for the two police officers to file their reply affidavits. The former Chief Minister accused them of having wilfully disobeyed the interim order passed by the court on May 4. He said the police officers had written to the manager of Indian Bank, Fairlands Main Branch, on May 8, seeking details of the accounts held by him over there. The manager replied to the communication on the same day.

Further, the police officers had sent a communication to Sri Vasavi College in Erode where he had pursued his bachelor’s degree course between 1973 and 1976. Such an act of the police officers was contumacious. They were not supposed to have proceeded with the investigation in violation of the court order not to precipitate the issue until the disposal of a revision petition challenging a judicial magistrate’s order, S.R. Rajagopal, counsel for the petitioner, argued.

He pointed out that a magistrate in Salem had on April 26 directed the CCB to inquire into a complaint filed against the former Chief Minister and register an FIR, if necessary. Immediately, Mr. Palaniswami filed the revision petition and when it was listed for admission on May 4, the CCB informed the court of having registered the FIR on the same day. The court recorded the submission, granted time to the police to file a counter to the revision petition and directed them not to precipitate the issue.

Despite such a categorical interim order, the police officers had gone about sending communications to the bank and the college, he complained and urged the court to punish them under the Contempt of Courts Act.