Tuesday, December 27 2005 16:26 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Chennai: A city court yesterday (Dec 26, 2005) granted bail to Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) Councillor of the Chennai Corporation K Dhanasekaran, arrested in connection with the stampede at a relief token distribution centre here on December 18, which claimed 42 lives.

Granting him bail, the Principal Sessions Judge A R Selvamkumar said the councillor should stay at Nagercoil, where he would be granted bail after a personal bond of Rs 50,000 and another surety for a similar amount was furnished.

Chennai Central prison superintendent should hand over Dhanasekaran to Nagercoil Jail Superintendent, the judge ordered.

He should also appear before the first class judicial magistrate there daily, the order added.

Mentioning that a judicial probe has been ordered by the Government into the stampede, the judge observed that Dhanasekaran alone could not be held responsible.

On December 20, the city police had arrested Dhanasekaran for allegedly spreading rumours that December 18 was the last day for issue of flood relief tokens and that distribution would start at 5.00 am.

Police claimed that the rumours led to the stampede on that day.

In his bail application, Dhanasekaran alleged that he was being implicated with 'ulterior motive' and ' malafide intention' only because he belonged to the opposition DMK and contended that the fact that the Chennai Collector and a police official were transferred following the stampede showed that it was due to administrative lapse of the state Government.