HC quashes criminal case against Puducherry ex-min Krishna Rao

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court quashed a criminal case filed against Malladi Krishna Rao, former health minister of Puducherry, which is pending before a magistrate court in the Yanam region of the UT administration.

The case was booked following a complaint that he furnished fake educational details in his election affidavit in the 2011 Assembly elections.

Justice GK Ilanthiraiyan passed the orders on allowing the petition filed by the All India NR Congress leader, who prayed for a direction to quash the criminal case that was filed on the basis of a complaint from Manga Veerababu. According to the Krishna Rao, he did not declare any wrong information in his election affidavit in 2011 as alleged. Recording the submission, the judge held that the petitioner passed Class 10 and studied intermediate, but not Class 12.

“Further, the affidavit is filed in year 2011 and the present impugned complaint is filed only in 2016. There is no explanation for the delay in the lodgement of the complaint. Therefore, no offense is made out as against [Krishna Rao] as alleged. Thus, the present complaint is nothing but a clear abuse of process of law and it cannot be sustained and it is liable to be quashed,” he held, and also rejected another charge against the former minister that he suppressed the details of a higher loan by pledging his low-value house.