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HC hears pleas against OPS, TN min in DA case
The Madras HC heard two suo motu revision petitions taken up separately against higher education minister K Ponmudy and expelled AIADMK leader O Panneerselvam
The Madras high court on Monday heard two suo motu revision petitions taken up separately against higher education minister K Ponmudi and former chief minister and expelled All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) leader O Panneerselvam (OPS). The hearings took place after Tamil Nadu went to Lok Sabha polls during the first phase on April 19 in which OPS contested as an independent with the backing of the BJP in Ramanathapuram constituency.
Justice Anand Venkatesh who heard both cases decided to hear the case against Ponmudy from June 18 to 21. Justice began hearing the case against OPS but adjourned it to April 30 for arguments to be made by Tamil Nadu’s advocate general PS Raman on behalf of the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC).
This is part of the revision cases which justice Venkatesh had taken up suo moto against either the discharge or acquittal of six heavy weight politicians of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and AIADMK.
OPS had moved the Supreme Court against the HC taking up the revision case against him which the top court dismissed earlier in March.
In the previous hearing on March 26, OPS had argued in the high court that the prosecution initiated against him was due to political differences.
The case against him pertains to a disproportionate assets case in which a special court in Sivaganga district discharged him in 2012.
The DVAC under the DMK regime had registered a case against OPS for accumulating wealth amounting to 1.7 crore disproportionate to his known sources of income between 2001 and 2001 when he was revenue minister. In 2012, the AIADMK came back to power.
Justice Venkatesh last year said that he believed that the discharge of OPS in 2012 set the pattern for the discharge of elected representatives every time the regime changed between the DMK and AIADMK.
“It is a shame on the criminal justice delivery system. DVAC has unfortunately become a chameleon and has begun to take its colours depending upon who is in power. Unfortunately, courts have also acted in tandem,” he had said in August 2023. “If you expect the High Court to close its eyes to such systemic failure then we will be failing in our constitutional duty. A party, B party is not our headache. We have to only ensure that the system is not broken down. This case (against OPS) is the starting point.”
The suo motu initiated against higher education minister Ponmudi last August against his discharge in a disproportionate assets case is the first in a series of such action taken by justice Venkatesh.
The case was registered by the DVAC on charges of disproportionate assets accumulated by Ponmudi between 1996 and 2001 during his tenure as Transport Minister. Last November, Ponmudy too approached the Supreme Court against the HC’s actioin which was dismissed.
Subsequently he also initiated suo moto action against ministers Thangam Thennarasu (finance) and KKSSR Ramachandran (revenue and disaster) OPS, I Periyasamy(rural development minister) and former AIADMK minister B Valarmathi.
The justice has issued notices to all the four political leaders besides the DVAC.
