HC directs shifting mentally retarded man to NIMHANS

Chennai: Madras High Court Wednesday directed shifting a 29-year-old mentally retarded man, with crores of rupees worth properties in his name and allegedly cheated by his former wife who remarried him, to NIMHANS in Bangalore to gauge his mental development.

On August 4, the court, acting on a petition by one Ananathan, custodian of Manoj Rajan, had directed CB-CID to probe a case relating to his alleged abduction by his former wife Priya Darshini.

Ananthan had submitted that Rajan, son of industrialist E J Rajan, was married to Priya Darshini in 2008 and within a year of marriage, she had filed for divorce alleging that her husband was suffering from a mental disorder.

When Manoj's father died in 2013, leaving behind a vast property to his only son, he had asked the petitioner to take care of the property and his son, he claimed.

Subsequently, Ananthan lodged Manoj Rajan in a Home for the mentally retarded at Gudalur in 2014.

In 2015, Priya Darshini had filed a Habeas Corpus Petition in Madras High Court, contending that Manoj was under illegal detention by the petitioner and Manoj's relative Rudolf Stany Pinto. However, the court dismissed the petition.

In May 2016, Priya along with a group of lawyers had abducted Manoj Rajan from the home, the petitioner alleged.

He also alleged that police had taken no action despite a complaint being filed, forcing him to move the High court.

The judge had also directed police to file a status report on the reported sale of one of the properties by Priya Darshini to another woman, worth Rs 1.67 crore.

The Judge had also directed that Rajan be transferred from the Home at Gudalur to one run by M S Chellamuthu Trust, in Madurai and ordered Madurai police to provide sufficient security to him.

When the matter came up today the Judge enquired if the sale had actually had been carried out and if so, whether the proceeds were with Rajan.

To this, the Investigation Officer in his status report and the charity home in its affidavit said Rajan had not carried any amount with him when he was admitted to the home.

"Now it is the duty of police to trace the money which rightly belongs to Manoj Rajan if really the said amount has been paid as averred in the sale deed," the judge said.

He said it would be in the interest of justice if Rajan was transferred to National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), which has state-of-the-art facilities to gauge his mental development.

The Judge then posted the matter for further hearing to September 2.