Prime Accused In Tamil Nadu Conversion-Suicide Case Reportedly Felicitated By DMK MLA Upon Being Released On Bail

An MLA from the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), Inigo Irudayaraj reportedly felicitated Sagaya Mary, the prime accused in the Tamil Nadu forced conversion- suicide case, upon her release on bail.

Sagaya Mary was released from the Trichy Central Jail after she was granted bail by the Thanjavur District Court.

The appeal filed by the state of Tamil Nadu against the Judgment of the Madras High Court transferring the investigation into the suicide to the Central Bureau of Investigation is to be heard by the Supreme Court today.

One of the reasons why the investigation was transferred from the state police and to the central agency is because the High Court found that high ranking Ministers of state had expressed opinions in public prejudging police investigation, supporting the school authorities.

The Madras High Court had quoted the state Education Minister Anbil Poyyamozhi as saying about the enquiry- "They have made it clear that pressure to convert was not the cause" and about the video of the girl - "They had questioned her in a provocative manner and she had not given any clear-cut answer".

The Court had observed that apart from the Education Minister, two other high ranking Ministers had also expressed opinions on the same lines and that the Education Department had also come out with a statement exonerating the school management of the charge of conversion, the school being a government-aided school.

The Court had also noted that the I.T wing of the ruling party DMK released portions of the private video that appear to exonerate the school authorities.

It is in that background that it is being reported that the MLA of the ruling party DMK has felicitated the prime accused in the case. 

The appeal by Tamil Nadu is listed today before the Bench of Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Bela M. Trivedi.