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Madurai mayor’s husband held in property tax case
The accused, P Pon Vasanth, was secretary of DMK’s Madurai - Arapalayam unit, was suspended on may 29
The Madurai city police has arrested P Pon Vasanth, husband of Madurai mayor P Indirani, in connection with an alleged 200-crore property tax case that has reportedly caused losses to the civic body, officials said on Wednesday.
The case is of civic officials reducing property tax valuation of several commercial buildings which resulted in loss of several crores to the civic body between 2022-2024, officials said. The DMK formed the government in 2021. Vasanth, who was secretary of DMK’s Madurai - Arapalayam unit, was suspended for anti-party activities on May 29 this year.
A special team of the Central Crime Branch (CCB) of Madurai arrested him on Tuesday evening from Chennai. He was taken to Madurai for further questioning on Wednesday when police took him to the Government Rajaji Hospital for a check-up before producing him in court for a remand. Doctors found him to have high-blood pressure because of which he was admitted, a police officer said.
His arrest takes the total number of accused arrested in the case to 17 which include former civic officers, councillors, partymen and middlemen. Chief minister M K Stalin had previously asked those related to the case and currently serving in the Madurai corporation, to resign, a DMK leader said.
“In July, five zonal chairpersons and two standing committee members of the corporation resigned,” the party leader said. “We have to see if the Mayor would be asked to resign too because her husband has been arrested.”
The case came to light after council members of the opposition AIADMK raised the issue during a council meeting after which then Madurai corporation commissioner Dinesh Kumar filed a police complaint last September on the irregularities in property tax assessment. The special team led by Madurai range officer Abhinav Kumar was constituted by the Madurai bench of the Madras high court.
“Property records were allegedly manipulated in the Urban Tree Information System (UTIS) by zonal chairpersons, councillors and staff on temporary rolls,” a police officer said. “We are investigating the possible collusion where tax details of commercial properties such as built-up area were manipulated in exchange for kickbacks.”
