Guv: Who ordered swearing-in fete?

Governor asks cops to probe if MLAs are in ‘custody’

Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao is understood to have sought a “status report” from the Director General of Police T.K. Rajendran on allegations from various quarters that MLAs had been kept under “captive custody”. He also told him to ensure that law and order in the state was maintained.

The Governor is understood to have questioned the presence of police personnel at the Madras University Centenary Auditorium when he had not invited anyone to form government. Immediately after the meeting, police personnel were withdrawn from the auditorium.

Mr Rao quietly took charge of the administration by meeting Chief Secretary Girija Vaidyanathan at about 11.30 am and quickly followed it up with a discussion with the DGP, Chennai police commissioner S. George and a few others.

Sources said Mr Rao told Mr Rajendran to verify allegations that MLAs had been kept under custody in a location near the city as highlighted by the media. “The Governor told the police to ensure that the MLAs are there only at their will,” a source said.

The Governor’s action comes a day after caretaker Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam met him and alleged that many MLAs have been kept under “captive custody” by the Sasikala camp.

The Hyderabad HC on Friday reserved its orders to Monday in a quash petition moved by Pawan Agarwal of Balaji Gold and Bullion, who is one of the accused in the Musaddilal Jewelers case.

Mr Agarwal moved the petition contending that he has got nothing to do with the Musaddilal case and the Hyderabad Central Crime Police Station authorities have falsely implicated him in the case.

The CCS police has registered the cases against the directors of Musad-dilal Jewellers Pvt Ltd and others including the petitioner on a complaint lodged by the income- tax department for allegedly generating advance cash receipts in the night of November 8, 2016 after note ban was announced.

Justice A. Shankar Narayana was hearing the case. Counsel for the petitioner contended that Musaddilal Jewellers has paid cash to his client and he has delivered the gold ornaments after buying the gold through bullion market and it is a routine business between his client and the jewellers. The police has “unnecessarily made him as accused in the case, though there was no evidence that his client has generated the advance cash receipts on the night.”

While objecting the plea of petitioner, Mr Pratap Reddy, public prosecutor, said police added him as the accused after finding some documentary evidence of transfer of cash between bank accounts of the petitioner and Musaddilal Jewellers.