Final hearing of suo motu case against Ponmudy postponed

CHENNAI: Justice N Anand Venkatesh, on Tuesday, postponed the final hearing of the suo motu criminal revision initiated against the discharge of former minister K Ponmudy from disproportionate asset (DA) case. When the suo motu case was listed before Justice Anand Venkatesh for final hearing as it was scheduled from March 12 to 15.

However, the judge decided to postpone the hearing and fixed the dates from March 15 to 19 for final submission. On August 10, last year, Justice 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 that 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.