The Madras high court on Tuesday stayed further criminal proceedings against film financier Anbu Chezhian, accused of harassing film producer Ashok Kumar to commit suicide by charging exorbitant interest, as per a report by Sureshkumar in The Times of India.
Further probe into the case by the Central Crime Branch (CCB) has been stayed till January 29.
The Madurai-based film financier is on the run fearing arrest as he has been booked for abetment to suicide (IPC Section 306), based on a complaint filed by Ashok’s cousin and director Sasikumar.
On a plea moved by the financier to quash the criminal charges against him, Justice MS Ramesh passed the interim order.
Anbu Chezhian has maintained that Sasikumar gave the complaint against him with the aim of preventing him from recovering the money due to him.
"Sasikumar had borrowed money for production of a film, 'Kodiveeran.' But he has cleverly suppressed this fact and has also failed to state that deceased Ashok Kumar had not borrowed any money from me," Anbu Chezhian said.
The petitioner while denying the charge that he had demanded excessive interest from Ashok Kumar said that the statement written in the suicide note was wrong as it was Sasikumar who had actually borrowed the money and not Ashok Kumar.
Anbu Chezhian wanted the court to quash the criminal proceedings against him contending that the FIR registered against him was a mala fide act.
On November 28, the film financier had moved the Madras HC for anticipatory bail, more than a week after Ashok Kumar killed himself after being allegedly harassed.
In his anticipatory bail plea filed before the high court, Anbu Chezian had stated, “I respectfully submit that I am innocent and I am not guilty of any offence. I submit that I do not have anything to do with the said B Ashok Kumar directly or indirectly. I have been falsely implicated in the case for extraneous reasons to wriggle out of the de facto complainant civil liabilities.”