Madras HC turns down TN minister's plea

Madurai, July 30 (UNI) The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court (HC) has turned down the plea to discharge Tamil Nadu Social Welfare Minister P Geetha Jeevan in a corruption case.

Justice A Selvam, while dismissing a criminal revision case filed by Ms Jeevan last evening, said she had approached the court frivolously without any evidence and only with oral and written submissions to disprove her involvement.

In the case, the minister's father N Periyasamy, a former legislator, was cited as the prime accused.

Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) officials had registered the corruption case against Ms Jeevan, her father, mother, and two brothers and her husband in the year 2003.

The revision was filed against an order passed by the Tuticorin Chief Judicial Magistrate on November 5, 2004, refusing to discharge the minister from the case.

The prosecution said the minister had served as the Chairman of the Tuticorin District Panchayat between 1996 and 2001 while her father N Periyasamy represented the Tuticorin Assembly constituency between 1989 and 1991 and again for a period from 1996 to 2001. Both of them were public servants as defined in Section 2o (C) of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The prosecution further said Periyasamy had purchased some properties in the name of his family members, including his daughter Ms Jeevan. The value of the properties was disproportionate to his known sources of income during his second term as the legislator.

They were booked under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code as well as the Prevention of Corruption Act.

In her revision, Ms Jeevan refuted the corruption charges filed against her and said the immovable properties owned by her were bought with her own money and not with the help of her father.

She also claimed that she had received donations from many people during contesting the elections.

Justice Selvam also pointed out that no document or evidence had been filed before the court to prove the source of income of the petitioner.

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