Observing that citizens must never get the impression of courts being playfields for the rich and the powerful and also criticising the Directorate of Vigilance of Anti-Corruption (DVAC) sleuths for acting like “puppets in The Muppet Show” depending upon the political party in power, the Madras High Court has decided to test the correctness of all judgements passed so far by special courts for MP/MLA cases, across the State.
Justice N. Anand Venkatesh on Thursday, said he had begun examining all special court verdicts due to complaints of many corruption cases against legislators having been withdrawn or watered down, during every change of regime in the State. The judge disclosed this before taking up a suo motu revision against the 2012 withdrawal of prosecution against former Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam and his family members.
The judge said, Mr. Panneerselvam’s case had led to the devising of a modus operandi, which was subsequently followed by incumbent Revenue Minister K.K.S.S.R. Ramachandran and Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu to get discharged from the disproportionate assets cases against them. “As the judge in charge of MP/MLA cases in this State, this court has a Constitutional duty to ensure that the streams of criminal justice are kept pure and unsullied,” he wrote.
