The discharge of Rural Development Minister I. Periyasamy from a case booked for alleged irregular allotment of Tamil Nadu Housing Board (TNHB) plot to former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi’s personal security officer is “a model for all the wrong reasons. It offers a panoramic view of all known legal techniques available in the armoury to derail trial and to ensure that the wheels of the criminal justice system come to a creaking halt,” the Madras High Court said on Friday.
Justice N. Anand Venkatesh made the observation in his 30-page order giving reasons for having taken suo motu review of the discharge order passed by a special court for MP/MLA cases in Chennai on March 7, 2023. The judge also initiated suo motu revision against the discharge of former social welfare Minister B. Valarmathi (AIADMK) in 2012 from a disproportionate assets case booked by the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti Corruption against her and her family members in 2007.
The judge pointed out that, according to the prosecution, Mr. Periyasamy was Housing Minister in 2008 when the former CM’s PSO C. Ganesan gave a representation seeking allotment of TNHB plot under government’s discretionary quota by falsely claiming to be residing in a private residential house on payment of exorbitant rent though he and his family were actually residing in a TNHB residential quarters on payment of paltry rent of ₹1,180 a month.
