Abduction case: Supreme Court extends pre-arrest bail of Tamil Nadu MLA Moorthy; interim order granted

In a lawsuit alleging complicity in the kidnapping case of a boy, the Supreme Court on Thursday extended the temporary protection from arrest to "Poovai" Jegan Moorthy, Tamil Nadu MLA from K V Kuppam. A bench consisting of Justices Manoj Mishra and NK Singh declared, "An interim order granted earlier to continue."

The top court shielded the legislator in the lawsuit on June 30. The court then ruled that if the petitioner is detained in the interim, he will be freed on a personal bail of Rs 25,000, provided he agrees to cooperate with the inquiry and refrain from threatening witnesses or tampering with the evidence.

Moorthy's appeal against a Madras High Court decision that rejected his anticipatory bail request was being heard by the bench.

The lawmaker maintained that there was no question about the abductee's recovery and that it was not due to possession or control. He claimed to have been implicated in the case for "mala fide reasons," claiming that he was complicit in the kidnapping.

According to the top court's ruling, "It has also been argued that even if the applicant interacted with one of the parties to the dispute, that may be considered for the purposes of settling the issue, and in any event, no custodial interrogation is required."

Lakshmi, the mother of a young boy who allegedly eloped with a girl, filed a criminal complaint, which is what started the case.

Her complaint, which she submitted to the Thiruvallur Police Station, claims that the girl's family members, together with some criminals, broke into her home to look for her elder son.

After failing to find him, they allegedly kidnapped her 18-year-old younger son and left him injured near a hotel.