Former Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) minister V. Senthilbalaji’s brother RV Ashok Kumar, 47, has approached the Madras High Court seeking anticipatory bail in a case registered against him for allegedly offering a bribe of Rs 35 crore to Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) N. Elaiyaraja, representing Uthangarai constituency.
The anticipatory bail plea will come up for hearing before Justice C. Kumarappan on Friday (July 3, 2026). The Triplicane police in Chennai had registered the First Information Report (FIR) against him and three others on June 30, 2026, as Uthangarai MLA, a dentist by profession, had lodged the complaint on June 29, 2026, mentioning the address of his MLA hostel in Chennai.
What is the case about?
The TVK MLA, in his complaint, claimed that he had received a phone call from a particular number on June 26, 2026. The caller identified himself as Thirunavukarasu, from a private entity called Indian Political Democratic Strategies (IPDS), involved in conducting political polls, and insisted on meeting the MLA in person to discuss an “irresistible offer from a major party”.
However, the MLA reportedly told the caller that it would not be possible to meet him in person and asked him to continue discussing the issue over the phone. The caller continued to insist on meeting the MLA in person, forcing him to end the call. Later, the MLA received several calls from the same number through WhatsApp but the legislator did not answer them.
Finally, when the MLA took one such call, the caller allegedly told him that “the TVK-led government would not last long.” The caller also said that there was a plan to bring a resolution against Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly Speaker JCD Prabhakar and that the MLA would get Rs 35 crore if he agrees to vote against the TVK whip when the resolution is passed in the House.
The MLA was also told that three others – Naresh, Krishnan and Ashok Kumar – would meet him if he accepted the deal. The lawmaker claimed that when he refused to comply and said he was not willing to accept any such agreement, the caller threatened him that he and his family members would have to face consequences if their conversation was leaked.
After the threatening phone call, the MLA lodged the police complaint along with screenshots of WhatsApp call history on his mobile phone. The Greater Chennai Police carried out a preliminary investigation on the basis of the complaint and later registered the FIR against the four named persons under the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 as well as the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
Denying any role in the crime, Mr. Kumar, in his anticipatory bail plea, said there was no allegation in the complaint that he had spoken directly to the MLA and yet he too had been named in the FIR only because the caller had mentioned his name. In the absence of any specific measure, the police could not be allowed to arrest the petitioner first and then search for incriminating materials, he said.
He also accused the MLA of filing the complaint for political reasons and said it was part of a plan to influence voters ahead of the by-elections to the Karur Assembly constituency. “Just because the petitioner is the brother of a former minister belonging to Karur constituency, he cannot be unfairly involved in the present case without any relevance or connection with the alleged offence,” he said.
Published – Jul 03, 2026 01:07 pm IST