'Suo motu cases against TN politicians will be called after CJ's order'

CHENNAI: Justice N Anand Venkatesh, on Thursday, observed that the Chief Justice (CJ) of the Madras High Court assigned him to hear all the suo motu cases initiated by him against Tamil Nadu politicians, including incumbent Ministers of the State.

When the matter was listed before Justice N Anand Venkatesh, he observed that Chief Justice SV Gangapurwala specially assigned all the suo motu cases to him after the Supreme Court's directions.

The judge also decided to hear the suo motu criminal revisions initiated against ministers KKSSR Ramachandran, Thangam Thennarasu, and former Ministers O Panneerselvam, B Valarmathi will be heard from February 27 to 29 and March 5 at 3 in the evening.

Further, the judge observed that the other two suo motu cases initiated against Minister I Periyasamy and former Minister K Ponmudy will be heard as per the earlier fixed schedule.

The judge scheduled the final hearing of suo-motu initiated against the incumbent Minister I Periyasamy on February 12 and 13.

The suo=motu initiated against the former minister K Ponmudy and his wife Visalatchi will be heard from February 19 to February 22.

The judge is also scheduled to hear the perspective of the then Vellore Principal Judge (PJ) N Vasanthaleela who acquitted Pondmudy and his wife from the DA case, on February 23.

A division bench of the Supreme Court directed to place all suo motu cases against the politicians before the CJ of MHC, in the SLP preferred by Ministers KKSSR Ramachandran and Thangam Thennarasu against the decision of Justice N Anand Venkatesh to hear the suo motu cases.

Justice N Anand Venkatesh holding the portfolio to hear the cases related to MP/MLAs initiated a series of suo motu criminal revisions against the discharge of incumbent Ministers KKSSR Ramachandran, Thangam Thennarasu, I Periyasamy, and former ministers K Ponmudy, O Panneerselvam and B Valarmathi from disproportionate asset (DA) case.

The judge raised his suspicion over the narrative of the investigation and judicial proceedings.

All the cases were booked by DVAC while the rival party was in power and final reports were submitted before the respective courts. Later when the regime changed the case files were transferred to another lower court and the final closure report was filed by the same agency giving clean chit to the politicians, wrote the judge in his suo motu revision. All of a sudden all the accused were discharged from the DA case accepting the final closure report, the judge wrote.

Further, the judge issued notice to all the politicians discharged from the DA case.

The counsels of the politicians sought to recuse Justice N Anand Venkatesh from hearing the suo-motu cases as it was initiated by him, however, he refused to recuse and observed that it was informed to the CJ of the Madras High Court about the suo-motu initiations.