Surprised by TN MLA's clean record, SC grants him bail in kidnap case

NEW DELHI: At a time when criminalisation of politics is on the rise, Supreme Court on Monday expressed surprise when it was told that Tamil Nadu MLA M Jagan Moorthy had no criminal antecedent and that led to the apex court granting him anticipatory bail in a kidnapping case of a boy.

"It is a surprise on the positive side," said a bench of Justices Manoj Misra and N Kotiswar Singh when senior advocate Siddharth Luthra, appearing for the MLA, said the elected representative had no criminal background.

Moorthy is the president of Puratchi Bharatham party, which is an ally of main opposition party AIADMK in Tamil Nadu.

"If the petitioner is arrested in connection with FIR registered at Thiruvalangadu police station, he shall be released on a personal bond of Rs 25, 000 subject to the undertaking that he shall cooperate in the investigation and will not threaten the witnesses or tamper the evidence," the bench said in its order.

Moorthy approached SC challenging Madras HC's June 27 order dismissing his plea for anticipatory bail. He claimed being framed in the case on the basis of a confession statement of a co-accused, without any direct or corroborative evidence linking him to the alleged offence.