Accused in Kodanad case suffers blowback as HC rejects plea challenging bail order

The Madras High Court Wednesday dismissed a petition filed by two key accused in the Kodanad heist case seeking to quash a lower court order cancelling their bail. Justice G K Ilanthariyan, who had on February 25 reserved orders, concurred with the submissions of the state public prosecutor that a media interview was given by the accused -- K V Sayan and KC Manoj -- on the case amounted to an interference with the administration of justice.

Nilgiris District Judge P Vadamalai had on February 8 cancelled the bail of the two after the prosecution petitioned that the duo made public statements about the case and were hampering the investigation and intimidating witnesses. They were earlier arrested along with eight others in connection with the April 23, 2017 robbery attempt at the Kodanad estate in Nilgiris district, which was used by former chief minister J Jayalalithaa for both official and residential purposes.

A guard was found dead in the incident. In January this year, Manoj and Sayan alleged the involvement of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami in the heist case in a video released by a journalist Mathew Samuel in Delhi.

Palaniswami had rejected the charges, dismissing it as a "lie". He had also filed a defamation suit in the high court which had restrained Samuel and six others, including Sayan and Manoj, from making any statement linking Palaniswami to the Kodanad case.

Public Prosecutor A. Natarajan had submitted that the accused misused the liberty given to them during the bail period. He had also submitted that the entire interview given on hearsay was inadmissible under section 60 of the Indian Evidence Act.

(With inputs from agencies.)