The Madras High Court on Wednesday granted bail to former Information Technology Minister M. Manikandan of the AIADMK in a rape case booked against him following a complaint lodged by an actress.
Justice M. Nirmal Kumar granted the relief after taking into account various factors. He said the police had already subjected the accused to custodial interrogation after his arrest and that a co-accused in the case had been already granted anticipatory bail.
The judge also took into consideration the fact that the accused was a general surgeon and a fellow of the Indian Association of Gastrointestinal Endosurgeons. Hailing from Ramanathapuram district, he was in government service for 12 years before joining politics.
The court stated that even as per the complainant’s version, she had been residing with the accused since 2017, on being reportedly promised marriage after he had divorced his wife, and that she had chosen to lodge the complaint only now when cracks began to develop in their relationship.
