The editor of Tamil daily Dina Bhoomi, S Manimaran, his son M Rameshkumar and associate M Muthiah, who were arrested in Madurai on Wednesday for publishing news on granite quarries in the Madurai region, were released on Thursday, the Hindu has reported. When the bail application came up before the Judicial Magistrate, Madurai Court, the prosecution did not oppose it.
A senior government official said that on the basis of Chief Minister's advice, the bail application was not opposed. He had also told the authorities that if a case was made out against them, action could be taken as per law.
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A police officer said the department had dropped several of the sections registered under the IPC against the three persons. The sections dropped were 384 (extortion), 387 (causing fear of death), 506 (1) criminal intimidation and 392 read with 511 (robbery and attempt to commit criminal offence).
Advocate P. Rajendran, appearing for Mr. Manimaran and two others told The Hindu at Madurai Central Prisons that as the police had dropped many of the (non-bailable) sections charged under the IPC, he filed an application before the Judicial Magistrate, Uma Maheswari, following which bail was granted.
On Wednesday, the Tallakulam police had registered a case under IPC Sections 341 (punishment for wrongful constraint), 384 (extortion), 387 (causing fear of death), 294 b (obscene acts in public), 506 (1) criminal intimidation and 392 read with 511 (robbery and attempt to commit criminal offence) against Mr. Manimaran and two others. However, on Thursday, the police had retained only 294 b and 341 Sections.
Speaking to reporters on release from the prison, Mr. Manimaran said the newspaper (‘Dina Bhoomi') had only exposed the huge loss of revenue to the exchequer by many of the quarry operators in the suburban pockets such as Melur near Madurai.
“There is no truth in the complainant's charge that I threatened them or demanded money for not publishing the news items. I will face them in the court of law,†he maintained.
To another query on the Chief Minister's intervention on the issue, Mr. Ramesh Kumar thanked the Chief Minister, but said that they would face the charges as per the law, and sought action against erring officials. Filing robbery and extortion cases against an editor of a daily had come as a rude shock.
