Accused in Subasri case retract bail plea

The Madras High Court on Thursday dismissed as “withdrawn” a joint bail application filed by All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) functionary S. Jayagopal and his brother-in-law Meghanathan in a case booked against them for having erected an illegal flex board which fell on 23-year-old techie R. Subasri when she was riding a two-wheeler at Pallikaranai on September 12 and eventually led to her death.

The petitioners’ counsel chose to withdraw the bail plea after sensing that Justice C.V. Karthikeyan was not inclined to grant the relief. During arguments, the judge said, the petitioners, if they had been responsible political leaders, ought to have surrendered before the police immediately after the woman’s death instead of hiding for weeks together with almost all of their family members. The police was able to arrest them only on September 27.

Even during the previous hearing of the bail petition on October 15, the judge expressed his mind by stating that the illegal flex board erected for welcoming home one man’s daughter-in-law had snatched the life of another man’s daughter. He was referring to the illegal flex board having been erected on the Pallavaram-Thoraipakkam Radial Road in Pallikaranai by the ruling party functionary for inviting the dignitaries to his son’s wedding at a nearby marriage hall.

On October 17, the judge said there was a strong possibility of the two accused attempting to influence the witnesses, if they were released on bail, since they happened to be local politicians.