Madurai police register case against former deputy mayor

Madurai police registered a case against former deputy mayor P.M. Mannan over an allegation that he tried to bribe a Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) legislator to vote against the state government in a possible no-confidence motion. Mannan was taken into custody on November 6 and questioned by the city’s Central Crime Branch, though reports differed on whether he had been formally arrested at that stage.

The case followed a complaint by Madurai Central MLA Madhar Badruddin, known as Mustafa. He said he had received an offer of Rs 15 crore in exchange for supporting the government’s opponents if a no-confidence motion was moved. The allegation has not been established as fact.

Police registered the case under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, as amended in 2018, and a criminal-conspiracy provision of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, according to police-source accounts. One report described the alleged offer as ranging from Rs 15 crore to Rs 30 crore; the specific Rs 15 crore figure was Mustafa’s account of what he said was offered.

Accounts of Mannan’s status on November 6 were not uniform. Some described the Central Crime Branch as having arrested him, while others said he had...