Case registered to malign Edu Minister's image: Vaithilingam

Puducherry, Mar 20 (UNI) Puducherry Agriculture and Industries Minister V Vaithilingam today said cases registered against Education Minister M O H F Shajahan was an attempt to malign his image.

Addressing a press conference here, along with the Congerss Minister Shajahan and Welfare Minister M Kandasamy, Mr Vaithilingam alleged that a group was responsible for tarnishing the image of the Ministers in Puducherry. A few days back the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption police registered cases against Health Minister E Valsaraj, in view of some irregularities in a land purchase deal.

Later, when Mr Valsaraj showed that the cash transactions were made by cheque, the police had sought six months time to submit the investigation report in the court.

Mr Vaithilingam said a writ petition was filed on behalf of Mr Shajahan, on which no action was taken by the police yet.

He said he would not be surprised if cases were registered against all the five Ministers here in another ten days.

Mr Shajahan told newspersons that it was absolutely wrong to register an FIR against him in the capacity as the Director of MOH Hassan Kuthoos Maraickair, since he had resigned the post on April five 2006. Moreover civil proceedings were pending in Chennai and Puducherry in the issue, he added.

He said the company had moved the Judicial Magistrate I court here on December 12, 2007, against the MD of the Malaysian firm and obtained an order to register a case and submit a report to the court by January 31 this year, after conducting investigation.

However, the police failed to register a case till now on the court is direction, whereas FIR was registered against him within two hours of the court direction.

Ridiculing the action of the police, Welfare Minister M Kandasamy said a situation prevailed in the Union Territory that the police could file an FIR on anyone.

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