Madras HC postpones hearing of Ponmudy's suo motu revision case

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court postponed for eight weeks the hearing of a suo motu criminal revision initiated against the discharge of minister K Ponmudy in a Disproportionate Assets (DA) case.

On Monday, the suo motu criminal revision was listed for hearing, however, Justice N Anand Venkatesh, the judge hearing the case, opted to postpone the matter for eight weeks.

On August 10 last year, Justice Anand Venkatesh had initiated suo motu criminal revision against the discharge of Ponmudy and his wife from the DA case, raising various suspicions on the narrative of the prosecution. “A shocking and calculated attempt to manipulate and subvert the criminal justice system has been exposed," the judge had said.

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 Madras High Court requesting permission to conduct a special sitting to complete the case.

However, the High Court rejected his permission request and directed the principal judge that the case should not be taken up until further orders.

Later, on July 7, 2022, the HC directed the principal district judge, Villupuram to transfer the case before the principal district judge, Vellore.

Subsequently, the Vellore court acquitted all the accused from the case including Ponmudy, on June 28, 2023.