A special court on Monday sentenced All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazagham (Amma) faction leader TTV Dinakaran and his close aide Mallikarjuna to judicial custody for a fortnight in the Election Commission bribery case, PTI reported. Police told Special Judge Poonam Chaudhry that the accused were not needed for a custodial interrogation.

Officials investigating the case said several witnesses have not yet been examined. The two accused were produced before the court before their police custody expired. The court also extended the judicial custody of suspected hawala operator Nathu Singh till May 15.

The court asked Tihar Central Jail officials to arrange for access to Dinakaran and his aide via video conferencing during hearings after the defence claimed potential security threats.

The two were taken to Chennai two days after they were arrested on allegations of bribing Election Commission officials to secure the AIADMK’s “two leaves” symbol. Besides the duo, Dinakaran’s wife and others believed to have links to the case were also questioned about illegal channels used to send money to Delhi from Chennai, unnamed officials told PTI.

The police began the investigation after Dinakaran was accused of giving money to middleman Sukesh Chandrasekar, who was arrested on April 16. He was the first arrested in the case and was found to have finalised a Rs 50-crore deal to help the AIADMK (Amma) camp secure the “two leaves” symbol. Officers had seized Rs 1.30 crore from him when he was arrested from a five-star hotel in Delhi on April 16. Chandrasekar is in judicial custody till May 12.

Dinakaran, jailed AIADMK General Secretary VK Sasikala’s nephew and the party’s deputy chief, is facing accusations of allegedly arranging for the money from undisclosed sources and transferring it to Delhi from Chennai using illegal means. Mallikarjuna was arrested for allegedly helping Dinakaran make the transfer, the police said.