Anticipatory bail denied for BJP cadre who threw mud on Ponmudy

The Madras High Court on Thursday refused to grant anticipatory bail to a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) functionary for having allegedly flung mud on Forest Minister K. Ponmudy during his visit to flood-affected areas at Iruvelpattu near Villupuram on December 3.

Justice A.D. Jagadish Chandira dismissed the plea after Government Advocate (criminal side) S. Santhosh said there was a political motive behind the incident and produced photographs to prove that the petitioner P. Vijayarani was a BJP functionary. The counsel said even the Collector was not spared.

The Minister had visited the place of occurrence, along with his son and former Member of Parliament Gautham Sigamani, and Collector C. Palani, to inspect damages caused pursuant to Cyclone Fengal. Some local residents had then blocked traffic on Tiruchi-Chennai national highway to highlight their plight.

Subsequently, when the Minister conducted the inspection, people in the crowd threw mud on him and a few others.