The Supreme Court of India has granted anticipatory bail to M. Jagan Moorthy, a sitting Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Tamil Nadu, in a case concerning the alleged abduction of a boy. The ruling came as a surprise to many, considering the Madras High Court had previously dismissed his petition for anticipatory bail on June 27, 2025.
A bench of Justices Manoj Misra and N Kotiswar Singh addressed the plea, allowing Moorthy's appeal against the Madras High Court's order. The Supreme Court issued a notice to the Tamil Nadu police, stating that the matter warranted consideration. The court has ordered that in the event of his arrest concerning the FIR registered at the Thiruvalangadu Police Station, Moorthy be released on a personal bond of Rs. 25,000, contingent upon his cooperation with the investigation and assurance that he will not threaten witnesses or tamper with evidence.
Moorthy, also known as "Poovai" Jagan Moorthy, is the president of the Puratchi Bharatham party and represents the K. V. Kuppam assembly constituency. He contested the election as part of the AIADMK alliance.
The case originates from the alleged abduction of a boy from Kalambakkam near Thiruvalangadu on May 10. The allegations are linked to the boy's elder brother, who married a woman he met on social media against her family's wishes. It is alleged that the girl's family, with the involvement of the MLA and Additional Director-General of Police (ADGP) H.M. Jayaram, conspired to locate the couple.
Moorthy has claimed that he has been falsely implicated in the case based on a confession statement from a co-accused, lacking any direct or corroborative evidence. He contends that the case is politically motivated and intended to tarnish his image, stemming from the elopement and marriage of the woman against her family's wishes. His plea argued that the High Court incorrectly applied Section 10 of the Indian Evidence Act (now Section 8 BNS) and that no money or material was recovered from him. He further stated that the sum of Rs. 7,86,750 allegedly involved in the crime was recovered from the girl's father, not him.
The Supreme Court's decision to grant Moorthy interim protection from arrest comes after the court intervened in a related matter involving ADGP H.M. Jayaram. On June 19, 2025, the Supreme Court set aside the Madras High Court's order for Jayaram's arrest and transferred the investigation to the Crime Branch-Criminal Investigation Department (CB-CID). The court questioned the basis of Jayaram's suspension, noting that the state had previously claimed he had not been arrested.
The Madras High Court had earlier dismissed Moorthy's anticipatory bail plea, citing that there was "prima material" to proceed against him and noting allegations that he was uncooperative and that custodial interrogation was necessary. However, the Supreme Court, after hearing submissions, deemed that the matter required consideration. Senior advocate Sidharth Luthra appeared for Moorthy, arguing that the abductee was recovered, and not from the applicant's possession or control and that the MLA had been implicated for mala fide reasons. Luthra asserted that custodial interrogation was not required.
