Kidnapping case: SC grills TN govt over senior cop's suspension post HC directive
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Wednesday grilled the Tamil Nadu government over the suspension of Additional Director General of Police H.M. Jayaram, who was directed to be arrested by the Madras High Court.
A bench of Justices Ujjal Bhuyan and Manmohan was informed by the state government’s counsel that the officer was taken into custody and released on Tuesday at around 5:00 pm.
Jayaram's counsel submitted that he was released by the police but the government had suspended him.
"He is a senior police officer. Where was the requirement for you to put him under suspension? These kinds of orders are shocking and demoralising," the bench remarked.
The top court told the TN government counsel to seek instructions on the matter and come back on June 19 for revoking his suspension.
Jayaram moved the apex court against the high court June 16 directive asking the police to arrest him.
His lawyer contended that the Madras High Court's order was "based on a confessional statement".
Jayaram's plea filed through advocate Rajesh Singh Chauhan further contested the high court directive saying it was passed without "assigning any detailed reasons" while relying upon the purported statements of two accused persons.
The officer claimed he had not moved the high court for any relief and was directed to appear before the court on June 16 in the anticipatory bail application of an accused person.
"The high court failed to take note of the fact that it is the prerogative of the investigating officer to arrest the accused and the impugned order passed by the high court failed to take note of this critical fact and also the fact that the petitioner within a short period of notice not being more than three hours voluntarily appeared before the high court on the directions issued by the high court," the plea said.
The high court's direction overlooked the fact that he is a serving police officer in the grade of an additional director general of police (ADGP) and an IPS officer with 28 years' of experience, the plea argued.
The high court orally directed Tamil Nadu Police to take Jayaram in custody in connection with a kidnapping case in which a girl ran away with a boy on April 5.
Jayaram was detained after he came out of the court building.
Justice P Velmurugan of the high court passed the order while hearing an anticipatory bail application filed by MLA M Jagan Moorthy, who apprehended arrest in the case.
The lawmaker from Puthiya Bharatham Katchi party represents Kilvaithinankuppam (SC) constituency in the state's Vellore district.
When the matter came up for hearing on June 16, the judge summoned Moorthy and Jayaram, whose official car was allegedly used for the kidnapping, to appear before the court in the afternoon.
They both appeared in the court following which the judge noted the confessions of the accused against the ADGP and ordered his arrest.
The matter in the high court is scheduled to come up on June 26.
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Here's how netizens, media outlets projected Ashwini Kumar's bomb threat as 'Lashkar-e-Jihadi'
Mumbai: Mumbai was thrown into panic late on Thursday night when police received a WhatsApp message warning of a large-scale terror attack during the Ganesh festival. The message, written in the name of a jihadi group called “Lashkar-e-Jihadi,” claimed that 14 Pakistani terrorists had entered Mumbai with 400 kilograms of RDX loaded in 34 vehicles.
It warned of blasts that could kill as many as one crore people. Authorities immediately declared a high alert, and the case was handed over to the Crime Branch while the Anti-Terrorism Squad and other security agencies were put on standby.
Within hours, the threat made national headlines. Television channels and online portals reported the possibility of a terror strike, repeatedly linking the message to Pakistan-based groups.
The incident was projected as yet another attempt to destabilize Mumbai, and the supposed involvement of a jihadi outfit quickly gained traction across the media. However, a swift investigation by Mumbai Police traced the origin of the message to a very different source.
By Saturday, police had tracked down and arrested Ashwin Kumar Supra, a 50-year-old astrologer and Vastu consultant living in Sector 79 of Noida. Originally from Patna, Kumar admitted during interrogation that he had sent the message using the name of his former friend Firoz. In 2023, Firoz had lodged a fraud case against him at Phulwari Sharif police station in Patna, leading to Kumar’s three-month imprisonment. Seeking revenge, Kumar attempted to frame Firoz by posing as a jihadi terrorist. Police recovered his mobile phone, SIM cards, and other digital devices used in the hoax.
When the threat first came to light, social media was flooded with heated reactions. Journalist @Manju_IBNews wrote, “Another election around the corner!” while user @kv_mcu posted an aggressive comment demanding to “ban Islam and burn the Quran,” calling for mass deportations and tying the incident to culture and religion. In response, @RIMMS51979 countered sharply, saying, “Caller Name is Ashvini kumar what will you burn now.” Another user, @Valkyrie00777, questioned the credibility of the threat, pointing to contradictions in the claim that 14 terrorists had entered India with 34 bombs and 400 kilograms of RDX. Meanwhile, @Liberal51601607 remarked, “Terrorists have no religion.. Anyone..?”
Fact-checkers also weighed in. @zoo_bear (Mohammed Zubair) accused NDTV of omitting crucial context, posting: “Adani's TV hasn't mentioned that the accused Ashwini Kumar sent the bomb threat message to Mumbai police in the name of his friend Firoz to frame him.” The fact-check website Aazad Fact Check (@AazadFactCheck) published a detailed rebuttal, saying the story had quickly evolved into a propaganda tool. It noted that the supposed intelligence about “human bombs in vehicles” was technically flawed and described the entire sequence as “a pure example of Indian narrative building before a false flag operation.”
Adani's TV hasn't mentioned that the accused Ashwini Kumar sent the bomb threat message to Mumbai police in the name of his friend Firoz to frame him. https://t.co/17nZxYOrql
— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) September 6, 2025
After Ashwini Kumar’s arrest, the tone of the online conversation shifted sharply. Activist @ShabnamHashmi posted, “Ashwini Kumar 50 Year Old Astrologer from Noida has been arrested for sending these threats in the name of a Muslim. This is how Sangh sleeper cells are spreading hatred. Stop the Hate factory! Vote Out the Vote Chori Gang.” Journalist @indscribe (Shams Ur Rehman Alavi) observed that newspapers splashed the initial threat on front pages but buried the arrest details inside. “When the guy gets caught, the same newspapers don't publish his photo, relegate it to page 14 or reduce it to a single column… Interest gone after ‘name’ found,” he wrote.
Ashwini Kumar 50 Year Old Astrologer from Noida has been arrested for sending these threats in the name of a Muslim. This is how Sangh sleeper cells are spreading hatred
— Shabnam Hashmi (@ShabnamHashmi) September 6, 2025
Stop the Hate factory !
Vote Out the Vote Chori Gang pic.twitter.com/IzpLjWVJgu
Other users highlighted systemic and political angles. @shfique13 argued that there are now “two laws” in the country—one protecting those aligned with the government and another used to suppress truth-tellers. @SoodRajive claimed the episode was staged, alleging Kumar had been paid to frame a minority and calling it “a staged toolkit drama.” User @hussain2577 wrote sarcastically, “Such an innocent n bright person. Plzz grant him bail, Garland him, Give him BJP membership form.” Another account, @Sangliyana, remarked, “Risking his life just to frame a Muslim boy. This is what 11 years corrupting mind.” Finally, @rsbisht__ argued that Kumar’s only aim was to trap Firoz, linking it to what he described as rising hatred against Muslims in Uttar Pradesh under the Modi and Yogi administrations.
