Court says Salem jail, Arumugam in Tiruchy jail

SALEM: On a day of high drama, former minister Veerapandi Arumugam was shifted to Tiruchy prison late on Tuesday night after he was arrested in Coimbatore in a fresh case of land grab.The day began with anticipation of his release on bail from the Coimbatore Central Prison, but the situation changed after he was arrested and taken to a Salem court, which remanded him in judicial custody for 15 days.He was then sent to the Salem Central Prison.Arumugam, who was granted bail by the Madras High Court on August 30, could not come out of jail because of court vacation for five days. The bail formalities were delayed and the police booked another case against the former Agriculture Minister and 16 others. The police sought a formal arrest at the Coimbatore jail itself, but the magistrate rejected the petition of the police.  The ex-minister, who was arrested around 2 pm, was brought to the Salem magistrate’s house around 8 pm after the police kept partymen and the media guessing about the timing and place of his remand. There were indications that Veerapandi Arumugam would be sent to the Palayamkottai prison, but the magistrate ordered him to be sent to Salem Central Prison on grounds of his health and age.Reaching Salem around 5.30 pm, he was kept in an undisclosed location. Judicial Magistrate in charge of JM Court II, Sri Vidya, initially waited for the police to arrive at the court, but later left.Meanwhile, the police made arrangements to remand the minister at the magistrate’s house. Around 8 pm, the police produced Arumugam at the magistrate’s residence. Kin Meet Ex-MinisterArumugam’s family members argued with the police to let them see him, but the police refused. Later, they allowed them to see him for 10 minutes.Hours later, the police took him to Tiruchy prison, ostensibly because of lack of space at its Salem counterpart.