The Madras High Court Today (August 7th) set aside two special court orders that discharged Tamil Nadu Minister for Revenue and Disaster Management KKSSR Ramachandran and Human Resource Management Minister Thangam Thenarasu in corruption cases. Justice Anand Venkatesh restored the disproportionate assets case and asked the trial court to frame charges against the two.
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CHENNAI: On Wednesday, the Madras High Court overturned two special court orders that had previously discharged Tamil Nadu Minister for Revenue and Disaster Management KKSSR Ramachandran and Human Resource Management Minister Thangam Thenarasu from corruption cases.
Justice Anand Venkatesh reinstated the disproportionate assets case and instructed the trial court to frame charges against both ministers.
Justice Venkatesh had initiated suo motu criminal revision proceedings on August 23 of the previous year, following a special court order that discharged the two Tamil Nadu ministers in the disproportionate assets cases.
Noting that both the accused and the prosecution played a “perfect game,” Justice Venkatesh had issued notices to Ramachandran and Thenarasu.
The two ministers had been discharged from their respective disproportionate asset cases in July 2023 and December 2022.
The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) had initially registered a case against Ramachandran, his wife, and a friend of the minister under the Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA) on December 20, 2011. The DVAC claimed they possessed Rs 44.59 lakh disproportionate to their known sources of income between April 1, 2006, and March 31, 2010.
In July of this year, Sessions Judge V Thilaham accepted a closure report filed by the DVAC. The agency’s sudden change of heart concluded that the minister’s family had excess savings of Rs 1.49 lakh rather than disproportionate assets worth Rs 44.59 lakh.
The DVAC had registered a case against Thenarasu and his wife T Manimegalai on February 14, 2012. A charge sheet was filed claiming the couple possessed Rs 74.58 lakh disproportionate to their known sources of income between May 15, 2006, and March 31, 2010.
On December 12, 2022, Principal Sessions Judge M Christopher accepted the closure report filed by the DVAC and discharged Thenarasu and his wife from the case.
When initiating the suo motu proceedings, Justice Venkatesh questioned whether investigation officers and special courts adhered to the same procedure for all cases or if a different standard was applied to cases involving state ministers.
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