MHC sent former AIADMK Minister's PA to jail in DA case
The judge also ordered both accused to pay Rs. 5 lakhs separately as a fine and directed them to surrender before the trial court on October 25.
Madras High Court
CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has sentenced R Venkatakrishnan, the Personal Assistant (PA) of former Minister R Indirakumari of AIADMK, to three years of imprisonment in a disproportionate asset (DA) case by setting aside a special court order.
Justice G Jayachandran, sent Venkatakrishnan and his V Manjula to three years and 18 months of imprisonment respectively for amassed wealth disproportionate to their known source of income, while pronouncing the final order.
The judge also ordered both accused to pay Rs. 5 lakhs separately as a fine and directed them to surrender before the trial court on October 25.
The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) booked a case against Venkatakrishnan and his wife for accumulated wealth unknown to their source of income.
According to the investigating agency, Venkatakrishnan amassed his wealth illegally between June 1991 to March 1994 and May 1994 to April 1996 when he was PA to the then AIADMK Social Welfare Minister R Indira Kumari.
The DVAC chargesheet stated that Venkatakrishnan amassed wealth of nearly Rs. 73.78 lakh during the two check periods, which was above 700 percent higher than his source of income.
Further, when the Income Tax searched the residence of Venkatakrishnan they seized Indian and various other foreign countries' currencies, gold jewels, high-value household articles, deposits, and other incriminating documents. Hence, the DVAC filed a case against Venkatakrishnan and his wife under 13 (2) r/w 13 (1) (e) of the Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act.
However, in 2012, the special court under the PC Act acquitted Venkatakrishnan and his wife from the case by citing that the material placed by the prosecution was not sufficient to prove guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Challenging this order the State government moved the Supreme Court, in February 2023, the Apex Court directed the Madras High Court to decide the merits of the case within a year.
On hearing the appeal, the Madras High Court set aside the Special court order and found both the accused guilty and sentenced them to jail.