Palaniswami accuses DMK govt of trying to frame him in murder case

Chennai, Aug 19 : Tamil Nadu's former Chief Minister K. Palaniswami on Wednesday alleged that the DMK government is trying to foist a false case against him in the sensational Kodanad murder case.

Palaniswami, who is also the Leader of Opposition the Assembly, made the allegation just before the house commenced on Wednesday. At this, members of his AIADMK immediately stood up from their seats, raised a sheet of paper at the Chair that read:"Don't foist false cases . We condemn this move", and then walked out.

The AIDMK's alliance partners, the PMK, and the BJP also raised the issue. PMK floor leader G.K. Mani said that the government was trying to practice vendetta politics and walked out of the house along with his party legislators.

BJP leader Nainar Nagendran, staging a walkout, said that the government was creating unnecessary fear.

Chief Minister M.K. Stalin maintained that bringing out the truth in the Kodanad murder cum robbery case was an electoral promise of the DMK, and his government was acting on the orders of the court and there is no political vendetta or motive behind this.

Taking a dig at the opposition, he used Tamil adage, "Madiyil Kanam Irundhal Thaan Vazhiyil Payam Irikkum (Only those who have committed wrong need fear)".

However Palaniswami, speaking to reporters after staging the walkout, said that the DMK government was taking political vendetta against him and said that the case is being reinvestigated in a bid to frame him.

He said that some of the DMK-affiliated advocates are appearing on behalf of the accused in the case and that some of the lawyers who had earlier appeared for the murder accused in the case are now Government pleaders.

This shows that the DMK led government has ulterior motives and that they were trying to frame him in the murder case, he claimed, and also alleged that the DMK is trying to influence one of the accused in the case.

AIADMK legislators squatted outside the Assembly hall and later former Chief Minister and party coordinator, O. Panneerselvam announced that the party would boycott the Assembly on Thursday also, on the issue.

The Kodanadu murder case took place on April 23, 2017, when a security guard at the 800-acre Kodanadu estate of late Chief Minister, J. Jayalalithaa was murdered by a 10-member gang in a robbery bid. Guard Om Bahadur, at gate no 10 of the estate, was found hanging upside down from a tree with this throat slit. Another guard, Krishna Bahadur, who was manning gate no 8 was found assaulted and sedated but recovered.

The Nilgiris police had on Monday issued a fresh summons to main accused K.V. Sayan and had grilled him for hours. This led to the apprehension that the government was using the police to frame the AIADMK leader.