Magistrate held for 'rape' gets bail, to join duty

Magistrate held for 'rape' gets bail, to join duty

COIMBATORE: Judicial magistrate S Thangaraj, who was arrested on Saturday on charges of raping a female sub-inspector, got bail from the Tirupur district and principal sessions judge's court on Monday. The bail order was served to the Coimbatore Central Prison and the magistrate was released on Monday evening. "He will take charge on Tuesday at the fast track court in Coonoor," his lawyer, Bhavani B Mohan said.

Thangaraj was arrested from ThattanKuttai near Kumarapalayam in Namakkal district on Saturday and sent to judicial custody after a female sub-inspector lodged a complaint with the Palladam all women police station, alleging that he had a physical relationship with her for more than a year after promising to marry her. The Palladam all women police station registered a case against the magistrate under Sections 376 (rape), 417 (cheating) and 506 (i) (criminal intimidation) of the IPC.

Thangaraj filed a bail petition before the Tirupur district and principal sessions judge's court, which came up for hearing on Monday before judge K Ganeshan. Public prosecutor KN Subramaniam argued that police had followed the rules and regulations of the Supreme Court and Madras high court in registering the case and, hence, the accused should not be allowed to enter the Nilgiris and Tirupur districts till the police investigation was completed.

Senior advocate Bhavani B Mohan, appearing on behalf of Thangaraj, argued that the woman SI had lodged a complaint with the Palladam all women police station on June 21 and that the case was registered on June 29. Police arrested the magistrate on Saturday and slapped rape charges on him. The charge does not apply in this case as they were in a relationship with mutual consent. The magistrate was not even told about the grounds of arrest. Mohan termed the incident as an assault on the judiciary and pleaded to the court to release Thangaraj.

Judge Ganeshan granted bail after the arguments concluded. Thangaraj, 31, of Oonjapalayam in Erode district is judicial magistrate at the fast track court at Coonoor in the Nilgiris district. He had allegedly been in a relationship with the woman sub-inspector attached to Palladam police station. However, he married another woman on June 20.  http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Magistrate-held-for-rape-gets-bail-to-join-duty/articleshow/20867226.cms