Union MoS moves HC in wealth case

Madurai, Mar 2 (UNI) Union Minister of State for Home Affairs S Raghupathy, facing a disproportionate assets case, today moved the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court challenging the order of a lower court rejecting his plea that a Presidential assent was required to prosecute him in the case.

In a review petition, which came up before Mr Justice R Raghupathy, the Minister submitted that the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Pudukottai, had rejected his discharge petition ignoring his contention.

Declining to grant an interim stay on the proceedings in the lower court, the Judge, however, directed the petitioner to approach the appropriate court seeking to dispense with his personal appearance in the case.

According to the petitioner, the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) had filed a case against him and his family members in 2002, charging him with amassing wealth disproportionate to his known sources of income during 1992-96, when he was a minister in the erstwhile AIADMK Government.

Thereafter there was no investigation into the matter.

Subsequently, he joined the DMK and was elevated as a Union Minister.

In December 2005, the DVAC had served him a notice seeking explanation on the charges. Dismissing his reply as not satisfactory, the DVAC proceeded to file a chargesheet in the Pudukottai court, he added.

The petitioner submitted that the CJM, while rejecting his discharge petition, had ignored his contention that a Presidential assent was required since he was a Union Minister. Instead, the lower court only took note of his having served as a minister in the state during the period 1992-96.

The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court today granted permission to Mr Raghupathy to approach the appropriate court to seek discharge from the disproportionate assets case filed against him in the year 2002.

The Judge posted further hearing in the case to March 22.

UNI CR AK DB2142