Madras High Court denies police protection to ‘Milakaipodi’ Venkatesan, BJP member facing multiple red sanders smuggling cases. Justice N. Anand Venkatesh expresses concern over providing security to individuals with criminal backgrounds.
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Chennai: On Monday(1st March), The Madras High Court has refused to grant police protection to ‘Milakaipodi’ Venkatesan, also known as K. Venkatesh, a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), who is facing as many as 49 cases related to the smuggling of red sanders in Andhra Pradesh, along with pending criminal cases in Tamil Nadu.
The court, led by Justice N. Anand Venkatesh, expressed concerns that if courts were to direct the police to provide personal security officers (PSOs) to individuals with criminal backgrounds solely due to threats arising from their own conduct.
Justice Venkatesh emphasized the importance of maintaining the credibility of the justice system and criticized the Tamil Nadu police for their inconsistent stance on the matter. On one hand, they vehemently opposed the plea for police protection in court, while on the other hand, leaked internal communications to the petitioner regarding threats to his life from rivals. The judge found this behavior by the police, specifically the Red Hills police under the Avadi Commissionerate, to be incomprehensible.
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The petitioner, ‘Milakaipodi’ Venkatesan, submitted an affidavit to the court stating that he was involved in import and export business and also ran an educational trust that operated a school in Red Hills. He claimed to hold the position of Tamil Nadu State secretary of the BJP’s OBC wing.
According to his affidavit, a close relative of his was murdered on August 17, 2023, allegedly by a man named Muthu Saravanan. ‘Milakaipodi’ Venkatesan stated that his family and he started receiving threats following the murder. Notably, Muthu Saravanan was later killed in a police encounter on October 12, 2023.
When videos circulated on social media platforms, accusing ‘Milakaipodi‘ Venkatesan of being responsible for Muthu Saravanan’s encounter death. As a result, the petitioner claimed that the threat to his life increased significantly. He also mentioned that even the Intelligence Bureau, operating under the Union Home Ministry, had alerted the State police about the risks he faced.
However, the Additional Public Prosecutor, A. Damodaran, presented a different perspective. He informed the court about the extensive list of cases pending against the petitioner in Andhra Pradesh. Damodaran revealed that ‘Milakaipodi’ Venkatesan had managed to obtain a gun license from the Nagaland police by providing a local address and had used the weapon to intimidate people.
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The Tamil Nadu police had already communicated with their counterparts in Nagaland to cancel the gun license. Furthermore, Damodaran disclosed that a history-sheet was opened against the petitioner in 2023, and a police picket was stationed near his residence to prevent the movement of anti-social elements.
After assessing the arguments made by the Additional Public Prosecutor, Justice Venkatesh concluded that granting police protection to individuals with criminal backgrounds would send a wrong signal to society. He stated the importance of maintaining public trust in the justice system and preventing any notion that people with criminal backgrounds are entitled to police protection.