Attack on Lankan President relative: Bail granted to five persons

The Madras High Court Bench here today granted anticipatory bail to five persons against whom police had filed a case for allegedly breaking into the residence of a priest at Rameswaram and attacking a relative of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksha during his visit there.

Some persons had barged into the priest's house and threw stones and slippers at Rajapaksha's relative Tirukumaran Natesan as he was about to perform a 'parikara pooja (prayer seeking to remedy ill-effects of some sins)' on January 10.

The petitioners claimed that they were innocent and even  Natesan had stated that no such incident took place.

Justice T.Stanthiram asked the five to present themselves and sign the register at the Rameswaram police station for six weeks on Saturdays and Sundays.