Booked under SC/ST act, TN minister's brother moves HC

Tamil Nadu Finance Minister O Panneerselvam's brother O Raja today moved the Madras High Court seeking a direction to a lower court to consider his bail application in a case booked against him under SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act on the day of surrender itself.
When the matter came up for hearing before a HC bench here, the counsel for the complainant opposed the plea of Raja.
Following this, Justice M.M.Sundresh posted the case for hearing to June 11.
Raja said Thenkarai police in Theni district initially have booked him and a few others under Section 306 (abetment of suicide) of IPC, after a Dalit priest committed suicide in 2012. He obtained anticipatory bail from the high court on December 18, 2012 in the case.

Now, police have invoked non-bailable provisions under SC/ST Act against the accused.
Since courts would not normally grant advance bail in cases booked under the Act, he said he was willing to surrender before a lower court with a bail application.
He sought a direction to the lower court to dispose of his bail application on the same day of surrender.