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New bench to take up Balaji’s bail plea today after Madras HC roster change
Justice Jayachandran will also hear the suo motu case against higher education minister K Ponmudi on October 19, said cause list announced by the high court
Chennai. Following a roster change, Justice Anand Venkatesh, who was handling the MP/MLA portfolio and took up suo moto revisions of acquittals against six politicians including sitting ministers, was shifted to the Madurai bench and Justice G Jayachandran who has now been assigned the portfolio in the principal bench at the Madras high court will hear related cases. On Tuesday, justice Jayachandran accepted a request for an early hearing of minister V Senthil Balaji’s bail plea listed for Wednesday.
Earlier on September 20, the principal sessions court in Chennai had denied bail to minister Balaji. But after he complained of numbness on his leg on Monday, his senior counsel N R Elango requested to take up his bail application early. Balaji was taken from the central Puzhal prison to the Stanley government hospital and sent back to the prison hospital on the same day on Monday since his vitals were stable. His bail will be heard on October 11.
Justice Jayachandran will also hear the suo motu case against higher education minister K Ponmudi on October 19, said cause list announced by the high court.
Ponmudy’s case was the first to be taken up by justice Venkatesh. Besides him, justice Venkatesh notices in August to ministers Thangam Thennarasu (finance) and KKSSR Ramachandran (revenue and disaster) and former chief minister and expelled AIADMK leader O Panneerselvam. In September, he issued notices to minister I Periyasamy (rural development) and former AIADMK minister B Valarmathi. All six heavyweight politicians were either discharged or acquitted in corruption cases probed by the state’s Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC).
“I have opened a can of worms but someone has to do this. Anand Venkatesh is not the problem here. I am on this seat today, tomorrow I will be gone,” the justice had said in September amidst the DMK accusing him of malafide intent and ministers Pomudy and Ramachandran asking him to rescue himself from hearing the case. Justice Venkatesh refused to recuse himself. Ponmudy and his wife P Visalatchi accused in the case filed a special leave petition in the Supreme Court challenging Justice Venkatesh’s suo moto.
In a routine portfolio reallocation made by chief justice of Madras high court, S V Gangapurwala effective from October 3, justice Venkatesh has been allocated writ petitions associated with mines, land reforms, general miscellaneous and other issues and the suo moto petitions he initiated has come under justice Jayachandran.
