The Supreme Court on Friday imposed a stay on orders of the Madras high court directing two Tamil Nadu ministers and their spouses to face trial in separate disproportionate assets cases, even as they were discharged by a trial court.
A bench headed by justice Hrishikesh Roy issued a notice to the Tamil Nadu government on appeals filed by state finance minister Thangam Thenarasu and his wife T Manimegalai, and revenue minister KKSSR Ramachandran and his wife R Adhilakshmi, challenging the August 7 order of the high court, which had exercised suo motu revision powers to overturn the verdict of the lower court.
The bench, also comprising justice PK Mishra, posted the matter after four weeks and said: “In the meantime, the operation of the HC judgments (against the accused) are stayed.”
Advocate general PS Raman, who appeared via video-conferencing for the Tamil Nadu government before the top court, said the state is in the process of filing an appeal against the high court order.
The bench’s decision came days before the two ministers – both belonging to the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) – are scheduled to appear before the special court in Virudhunagar, Tamil Nadu, this month. While Ramachandran is supposed to appear on September 9, Thenarasu has been summoned on September 11.
{{/usCountry}}The bench’s decision came days before the two ministers – both belonging to the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) – are scheduled to appear before the special court in Virudhunagar, Tamil Nadu, this month. While Ramachandran is supposed to appear on September 9, Thenarasu has been summoned on September 11.
{{/usCountry}}The two ministers have been accused of having accumulated wealth in excess of their known source of income between 2006 and 2011, when the DMK was in power. Separate criminal cases against them were registered by the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK)-led government after the party came to power in 2011. The spouses of the two ministers have been accused of helping them accumulate the assets.
In 2022 and 2023, the trial court discharged the two ministers, saying the cases against them under the Prevention of Corruption Act were not made out.
A single bench of justice N Anand Venkatesh of the high court, however, reversed the verdict, saying there was a pattern in all discharge orders that came pursuant to the new government coming to power.