Chennai, Feb 25 (PTI) AIADMK leader and former Minister D Jayakumar, arrested earlier this week for allegedly assaulting a DMK worker and parading him shirtless during the urban local body elections on February 19, was denied bail by the Principal Sessions Judge (PSJ) on Friday.

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"Considering the gravity of the offence and the serious objections raised by the prosecution, I am not inclined to grant bail," PSJ S Alli said. Moreover, the complainant is still in hospital and the investigation is at the preliminary stage, the judge said and dismissed Jayakumar's plea for bail.

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Earlier in the day, the XV Metropolitan Magistrate in George Town rejected a plea from the police to take Jayakumar into their custody for five days.

After listening to the arguments of Jayakumar's senior counsel A Natarajan, Magistrate Murali Krishna Anand rejected the plea of the police. Natarajan, too, told the Magistrate the case does not require the accused to be in police custody.

Natarajan argued, among other things, that the arrest was politically motivated. His client did not attack the complainant as was alleged by him. He only exposed bogus voting in that particular booth. He produced before the judge video-clippings of the incident to back his claim.

Another senior counsel N R Elango, representing the complainant Naresh, told the judge that the PSJ court does not have the jurisdiction to hear the case as Jayakumar happened to be a former Legislator. Only the Special Court for MPs and MLAs would have the jurisdiction, he added.

The City Public Prosecutor informed the judge that the probe into the case was at the initial stage and the complainant who sustained injuries was undergoing treatment in a hospital.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)