Ex-AIADMK minister, husband jailed for five years in Tamil Nadu fund scam

N Alicia, the presiding officer of the Special Court for Hearing Cases Against MPs and MLAs, awarded Kumari and Babu the sentence after finding them guilty of offences under various sections of the IPC and the Prevention of Corruption Act.

A special court here on Wednesday convicted AIADMK former Minister R Indira Kumari and her husband A Babu in a case of misappropriation of Tamil Nadu government funds to the tune of ₹15 lakh and sentenced them to undergo Rigorous Imprisonment (RI) for five years each.

According to the prosecution, the former AIADMK minister Kumari and husband Babu had connived with each other and misappropriated government funds of ₹15.45 lakh allotted for floating two trusts. (Representational picture)

N Alicia, the presiding officer of the Special Court for Hearing Cases Against MPs and MLAs, awarded the sentence after finding them guilty of offences under various sections of the IPC and the Prevention of Corruption Act. Kumari,who served as social welfare minister from 1991-96 when J Jayalalithaa was the chief minister, later joined the DMK in 2006.

The court also awarded three years imprisonment to retired IAS officer P Shanmugam, who had then served as the Director of Rehabiliatation of the Disabled and acquitted the ex-minister’s former Personal Assistant (PA) Venkatakrishnan, after imposing a fine of ₹10,000 on him.

Immediately on pronouncement of the sentence, Kumari, who was present in the court hall, complained of breathing problems and was later admitted to the Government Royapettah Hospital here.

The charges against another IAS officer Kirubakaran, the then secretary of the Social Welfare department, were abated since he died during the trial.

According to the prosecution, the accused had connived with each other and misappropriated government funds of ₹15.45 lakh allotted for floating two trusts-- Mercy Mother India Charitable Trust for running a special school for hearing impaired children in the then North Arcot Ambedkar district and an institution for severely orthopedically handicapped children by another organisation, Bharani Swathi Educational Trust, here. The accused committed criminal misconduct, it was alleged.

The case was registered in 1997, a year after the DMK came to power in 1996 and the chargesheet was filed in 2004.