Madras High Court reserves final orders in DA case against Duraimurugan

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court reserved the final order in the revision petition of the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC), challenging the discharge of Minister Duraimurugan from a disproportionate assets case.

On Monday, Justice P Velmurugan reserved the order after hearing the case without granting a long adjournment, as the case has been pending since 2013 against the senior minister of the DMK cabinet and his family members for allegedly amassing wealth disproportionate to their assets.

During the AIADMK government in 2013, the DVAC moved a revision petition challenging the 2007 order, discharging Duraimurugan and his family members from the DA case.

The prosecution alleged that the minister, while holding the PWD and Water Resources department between 1996 and 2001, amassed wealth disproportionate to his known sources. In 2001, after the then CM J Jayalalithaa assumed power, the DVAC filed a corruption case against Duraimurugan, his wife Santhakumari, son Kathir Anand, brother Durai Singaram and others.

However, after the DMK seized power again in 2007, a Vellore special court, which heard the case, discharged Duraimurugan and his family members from the graft case. Against the discharge order, DVAC moved a revision petition, pending since 2013.

Senior counsels Sidharth Luthra and P Wilson appeared for the minister and his family members and objected to the revision petition. It was contended that the prosecution agency made errors during the probe as they included the properties purchased by the minister's family members long before the check period. The trial court rendered the judgment by law, hence the revision petition should be dismissed, the counsels added.