Chennai, Oct 4: The Tamil Nadu Police have intensified efforts to trace and arrest N. Satish Kumar, Namakkal district secretary of actor Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), after he went missing following the dismissal of his anticipatory bail petition, officials said on Saturday.

Two special squads have been formed under the supervision of Inspector Kabilan to locate the absconding TVK functionary, according to official sources.

The action comes after the Madras High Court on Friday denied anticipatory bail to Satish Kumar in connection with a case registered for allegedly attacking a private hospital in Namakkal.

The incident reportedly occurred when TVK leader Vijay was campaigning in the district ahead of the Assembly elections scheduled to be held next year.

Satish Kumar approached the court seeking protection from arrest.

During the hearing, his counsel, advocate A. Murugavel, said that his client was being falsely implicated for political reasons.

“The petitioner has not committed any crime. The case was filed solely because he happened to be present at the location when the incident took place,” Murugavel added.

However, the prosecution strongly opposed the plea, presenting details of damages caused during the unrest.

Police counsel said that TVK cadres had damaged hospital property worth Rs 5 lakh during the incident.

They also said that eight other criminal cases were already pending against Satish Kumar, including charges related to public property destruction.

The police also submitted photographic evidence from the spot to substantiate their claims.

After examining the images, Justice N. Senthilkumar said that as a district-level TVK leader, Satish Kumar, could not disown responsibility for the violent actions of his cadre.

“If party members were engaged in such acts, how can the petitioner claim ignorance? Shouldn’t he have exercised control over them?” the judge remarked before rejecting the anticipatory bail plea.

With the court’s decision, the Namakkal police have stepped up operations to track down Satish Kumar, who has reportedly been untraceable since the judgment.

Officers said that both squads are actively following leads and scanning possible hideouts.

The move is seen as part of a broader crackdown on political violence and property damage during election campaigns.

Authorities indicated that if Satish Kumar fails to surrender, further legal steps, including issuing a lookout notice, could follow.

The police have appealed to the people to share information on his whereabouts confidentially.

Mumbai: The special court for Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO), on Friday, asked the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) to file reply on the plea of further probe against the office-bearers of Bandra-based Otters Club, in a case of alleged sexual assault on a minor boy at the club by a waiter in September 2023.

The court was hearing the arguments made by advocate Rizwan Merchant on behalf of the complainant father, a businessman. The victim boy was 7 years old at the time of the alleged incident. It was contended that the court should seek reply from the DCP on further probe under his supervision. The court has now scheduled the hearing for next week.

The complainant had challenged the closure report submitted by the Bandra police against the club officebearers, who were also named in the complaint. It was claimed that even after bringing the facts to the notice of the managing committee they failed to act. Hence, he filed a police complaint, demanding that the office-bearers should be prosecuted for failure to take action.

The father had claimed that the office-bearers had tried to arm-twist him. He further claimed that they assured him that the matter would be referred to the Prevention of Sexual Harassment committee. Notably, the case could not go to the committee as it was related to child sexual harassment, argued the father.

Mumbai: The BMC, which is struggling for new sources of income, has found a new way. According to the new development plan (DP), the BMC will earn money by selling the houses given to the builders on large plots through lottery. The BMC will start the lottery process for 184 houses. A senior official said that these houses will cost around Rs 150 crore. The BMC will sell these houses at a slightly higher price than the ready reckoner house. So far, the BMC has got about 110 houses, the rest will be given to the owner tomorrow. Significantly, the new development plan creates 20% of the houses in BMC on large plots of more than 4000 square meters and it is necessary to give them to people belonging to the following class.

The BMC will get these houses from builders in Kanjarmarg, Byculla, Borivali and Andheri areas. The buildings are now ready on the plot, which was approved after the approval of the new development plan (DP) in 2018. According to an official, “We are taking this initiative to fulfil the dream of providing housing to everyone in Mumbai. In the coming months, we will acquire another 300-400 houses, which we will then offer to the public through a lottery.” The BMC has decided to follow the same process as MHADA for selling houses through a lottery. According to an official, the BMC will complete the registration and other paperwork for the lottery, just like MHADA. The lottery will then take place. “We are also considering approaching MHADA for a lottery for these houses. MHADA has a complete system for conducting the lottery, whereas we have to develop it from scratch.”

The BMC has planned several new infrastructure projects in the last few years. Currently, the BMC has only Rs 70,000 crore in reserves. Experts say that the cost of completing these projects is estimated at Rs 2 lakh crore (about $200 million). Therefore, the BMC is in dire need of funds. In this regard, the BMC is trying to find new sources to increase its revenue at all costs.