Madurai: The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Tuesday dismissed the anticipatory bail plea of a Panchayat chief, whom his second wife alleged, had married four times to get a male heir.
Justice R Mala declined to grant him anticipatory bail in a case filed against him under IPC sections including 498(A) (husband or relative of husband of a woman subjecting her to cruelty) on a complaint by the woman on January 21.
The petitioner Manikandan is the President of the Porusupatti Panchayat, while his first wife, who is the second accused in the complaint, is the President of Meenakshipuram Panchayat President.
Manikandan submitted that he was falsely implicated in the case and sought anticipatory bail.
He submitted that he was the maternal uncle/husband of the complainant, and they were living together till some years ago.
The complainant had alleged she was thrown out of the house by him and his first wife some years ago, after taking away her gold ornaments. But she had not mentioned date and time of the occurrence in the complaint, and had not explained the reason for the delay in lodging the complaint, he contended.
He had been falsely implicated in the case, he said and sought anticipatory bail.
The complainant, who filed an intervening petition, alleged that she was raped by Manikandan and she was forced to marry him at the intervention of her family members. The petitioner had suppressed his first marriage also.
She alleged that the petitioner had married four women including an hearing and speech impaired woman with the objective of getting a male progeny. If the woman delivered a girl baby, he would drive away the woman from his house after taking all the jewels, she alleged.
The woman said her parents were no more and she was forced to stay with him for some time. She was forced to come out of her matrimonial house to save herself and her daughter.
A lower court had already dismissed his anticipatory bail petitions, she said, seeking his arrest.
PTI
