The Madurai bench of Madras High Court has officially dismissed the case filed against former Inspector General of Police Pon Manickavel, ruling that it was baseless and lacked sufficient evidence. The case, which had been initiated based on allegations by a known idol smuggling accused, DSP Kadher Basha, was deemed to have no legal standing.
During his tenure as Inspector General of the Idol Wing, Pon Manickavel was known for his relentless pursuit of idol smugglers and for exposing several high-profile cases involving the theft of ancient temple idols (murtis). It was during this time that a case was registered against DSP Kadher Basha for his alleged involvement in one such idol theft case.
In response, Basha filed a petition in the Madras High Court accusing Pon Manickavel of misconduct and requesting legal action against him. Acting on this petition, the court directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to probe the matter. Following this directive, the CBI registered a case against Manickavel and submitted a chargesheet to the Madurai District Court.
Challenging the case, Pon Manickavel approached the Madurai High Court, requesting that the FIR and chargesheet filed against him be quashed. Justice G. Manjula, who presided over the case, ruled in his favor.
In her judgment, Justice Manjula stated that the CBI’s chargesheet lacked substantive evidence to support the allegations against Manickavel. She noted that neither the complaint nor the FIR contained any credible material to justify the legal proceedings, and that the charges appeared to be without merit.
The court further emphasized that allowing such unfounded accusations to proceed could set a dangerous precedent, potentially discouraging honest officers from carrying out their duties. It was observed that frivolous complaints could lead to public distrust in the investigative process and compromise the integrity of cases pursued by special investigative teams.
The judge concluded that, given the pending status of the original complaint against DSP Kadher Basha, it was unjustified to proceed with charges against Pon Manickavel. As a result, both the FIR and the case filed against him were quashed.
(With inputs from Hindu Tamil)
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