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SC restrains Tamil Nadu police from arresting Sasikala Pushpa

The Supreme Court on Friday restrained the Tamil Nadu government from arresting expelled AIADMK MP, Sasikala Pushpa for a period of six weeks.

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However, the SC has instructed the Madurai Bench to decide on her anticipatory bail plea without being influenced by the apex court’s protection. “She is a lady MP and not running away”, the court told senior counsel Subramonium Prasad appearing for the Tamil Nadu government.

Senior counsel Siddarth Luthra also questioned the timing of the complaint, saying the allegations against the Rajya Sabha MP and her family went back to 2011.

The High Court had directed Pushpa to appear before the court on August 29 and explain how she could have signed a “vakalat” in Madurai on August 17. The DHC had also said that Pushpa and her accused family members have to approach the concerned court for further remedies like regular bail.

Pushpa’s domestic help had filed a complaint with police alleging that she was sexually harassed by Sasikala’s husband Pradeep Raja and their son Lingeswara Thilagam. Since then, she has claimed a threat to her “life and dignity” but the Tamil Nadu police has repeatedly refused to grant her security.

Sasikala, who reportedly slapped DMK MP Trichy Siva at Delhi airport recently, was expelled from AIADMK on August 1 by party chief J Jayalalithaa on grounds of violating party principles and ethics and bringing disrepute to the party.

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Shashikala had created an uproar when she alleged in party that she was being threatened by her own party workers.

The top court gave expelled AIADMK leader Sasikala protection for six weeks