Is Tamil Nadu Finance Minister Marie Wilson the King of England to avoid court appearance, asks Madras High Court

The Madras High Court questioned Tamil Nadu Finance Minister N. Marie Wilson regarding his failure to appear before a Puducherry court in an ongoing assault case. The judge emphasized that no official is above the law and rejected the Minister's attempt to avoid court proceedings.
Why it matters
This case highlights the judicial scrutiny of public officials and the principle of equality before the law in India.
Justice V. Lakshminarayanan of the Madras High Court on Friday (August 28, 2026) asked whether Tamil Nadu Finance Minister N. Marie Wilson was the King of England for him not to appear before a Puducherry Judicial Magistrate in connection with an assault case pending against him.
The judge posed the query during the hearing of a petition filed by the Minister to quash the charge sheet that had been filed against him by the Lawspet police in Puducherry in the assault case registered on the basis of a complaint lodged by his sister-in-law, Careline Claude.
When the petitioner’s counsel stated that the police appeared to have filed an additional charge sheet against the petitioner and his father but a copy of it had not been served on them, the judge retorted that the accused would be served with copies only when they attend the court proceedings.
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