Final hearing of K Ponmudy's suo motu case postponed

CHENNAI: Justice N Anand Venkatesh postponed the fixed dates for the final hearing of the suo motu criminal revision initiated against the discharge of ex-minister K Ponmudy from the disproportionate asset (DA) case.

Senior counsel NR Elango for the ex-minister appeared before Justice N Anand Venkatesh and requested to change the dates fixed for the final hearing of the suo-motu. Accepting the request, the judge postponed the hearing and fixed the dates from March 12 to 15 to dispose of the suo motu. Earlier, the judge scheduled the final hearing from February 19 to February 22.

On August 10, last year, Justice N Anand Venkatesh initiated suo motu criminal revision against the discharge of the then minister K Ponmudy and his wife from the DA case, by raising various suspicions on the narrative of the case proceedings.

In 2002 the DVAC registered a case against Ponmudy, his wife, his mother-in-law, and two others under the Prevention of Corruption Act 1988, for acquiring properties which were disproportionate to his known sources of income from 1996 to 2001 when he was a minister in the DMK regime.

Relating to this case, on April 26, 2022, the principal district judge, Villupuram wrote a letter to the MHC requesting permission to conduct a special sitting to complete the case. However, the MHC has rejected his permission and directed the principal judge that the case should not be taken up until further orders. Later, on July 7, 2022, directed the principal district judge, Villupuram to transfer the case to the file of the principal district judge, Vellore. Subsequently, the Vellore court acquitted all the accused from the case including Ponmudy, on June 28, 2023.