SC orders Ponn Manickavel to hand over all the records to ADGP

Supreme Court orders special officer Ponn Manickavel to hand over all documents to ADGP: Supreme Court today ordered retired DIG and special officer Ponn Manickavel to hand over all records about idol smuggling to ADGP Abhay Kumar Singh of state idol wing. The order is passed in the appeal filed by the ADGP on behalf of the state government. It was against the dismissal of the High Court order on canceling the appointment of Pon Manickavel as a special CID of state idol wing.

Railways IG Ponn Manickavel was also investigating idol smuggling cases in Tamil Nadu. On his retirement last year, he was appointed as special CID for the state idol wing by the Madras High Court. It was after his retirement on 30 November 2018. The High Court has fixed one year for him to continue the idol investigations until 30 November 2019.

The state government not satisfied with the appointment filed petitions against it. The High Court dismissed the petitions. ADGP Abhay Kumar of the state idol wing filed an appeal in the Supreme Court. Today on hearing the appeal, the order to Ponn Manickavel to hand over all the documents to the ADGP was issued.

The Court also asked the necessity for Ponn Manickavel to file a defamation case against the state government in the High Court was. To that, the lawyers of Ponn Mancikavel said that the state government was not interested in identifying the idol smugglers, and it is the reason for him to file a defamation case.

The Court not satisfied with the explanation ordered Ponn Mancikavel and two others to file counters to the appeal in the Supreme Court and also hand over the idol smuggle documents to the idol wing ADGP Abhay Kumar Singh. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court also dismissed the petition by Traffic Ramasamy praying for allowing Pon Manickavel to continue as the special CID for the state idol wing.

The supreme court order will have its bearing on the Madras High Court, also when the case for the extension of Ponn Manickavel's term as special CID comes before it shortly. His term may not be extended by high Court any further is what legal experts say.