The Madras High Court on Tuesday reserved its judgement on a suo motu criminal revision petition taken up by it against the discharge of Rural Development Minister I. Periyasamy last year from a case booked in 2012 for alleged irregular allotment of a Tamil Nadu Housing Board (TNHB) plot to the personal security officer of former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi in March 2008.
Justice N. Anand Venkatesh deferred his verdict after hearing elaborate arguments advanced by Senior Counsel Ranjit Kumar and A. Ramesh for the Minister and Advocate General P.S. Raman for the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti Corruption (DVAC). He also appreciated the A-G for having taken a fair stand during the hearing and placing only his legal submissions on the issue.
The judge made it clear that he had no preconceived notions and that the suo motu proceedings had been initiated only to ensure the march of law. “Ultimately, nobody is against anybody here. We are all concerned about the system. At the end of the day, people must get the confidence that the system is functioning and that it will function even against the highest person in power,” he said.
