AIADMK headquarters attack case transferred to CBCID

AIADMK leader O Panneerselvam and his aides-- P H Manoj Pandian and R Vaithilingam have been included as accused in the cases

All cases related to the violence at the AIADMK headquarters here on July 11 hours before the party’s General Council meeting have been transferred to the CB-CID wing, the Tamil Nadu government told the Madras High Court Thursday.

The government’s counsel made the submission before Justice N Sathish Kumar while hearing a petition filed by party Rajya Sabha MP C Ve Shanmugam demanding a CBI probe into the incidents on July 11. The court was told that the Greater Chennai Police has also registered a case based on a complaint filed by Shanmugam after which the DGP transferred the investigation to CB-CID.

In his complaint, Shanmugam had accused supporters of O Panneerselvam of “stealing” original documents of several properties owned by the party, Rs 32,000 in cash, and registration certificates of over 30 vehicles from the party headquarters. He had accused Panneerselvam, and his supporters Manoj Pandian, R Vaithilingam, and J C D Prabhakar among others of “instigating” the “mob.”

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“Original documents of the party headquarters on the Avvai Shanmugam Salai, the Saffire Theatre building in Chennai, party offices in Puducherry, Coimbatore, and Tiruchirappalli have been stolen. Passbook of the account maintained by the party in a Madurai branch of the bank and Rs 31,000 in cash have also been stolen,” Shanmugam had said in his complaint.

Meanwhile, the division bench of justices M Duraiswamy and Sunder Mohan reserved orders on a petition filed by former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami challenging a single judge verdict favouring O Panneerselvam by ordering status quo as on June 23 in the AIADMK.

The orders were reserved after the court heard arguments from both sides. Palaniswami has challenged the verdict given by justice G Jayachandran on August 17 in which he ordered status quo as on June 23 in the AIADMK and cancelled the General Council meeting held on July 11 that appointed him as the interim general secretary.

The single judge’s order had reinstated Panneerselvam, who was expelled from the party at the July 11 GC meeting, as coordinator and Palaniswami as joint coordinator. Though Panneerselvam welcomed the verdict, Palaniswami preferred an appeal.

At the GC meeting on July 11, Palaniswami was elected as interim general secretary and a motion was moved to expel Panneerselvam and his supporters. However, Panneerselvam filed a petition before the High Court seeking to declare as “illegal” the July 11 GC meeting as it was called by the Presidium Chairman who he said wasn’t authorised to convene the GC.