In a significant development, the Madras High Court on Wednesday reversed the decisions of a Virudhunagar district Special Court that previously discharged Tamil Nadu Revenue Minister KKSSR Ramachandran and Finance Minister Thangam Thenarasu from disproportionate assets cases. The court has now directed that charges be framed against both ministers, mandating a trial to proceed under strict legal scrutiny.
Justice N Anand Venkatesh, who presided over the case, allowed a writ petition he initiated himself last year, challenging the orders that discharged the two senior DMK leaders. This decision underscores the judiciary’s proactive role in addressing alleged corruption at high levels of government.
The allegations against Ramachandran involve the accumulation of wealth disproportionate to his known sources of income during his tenure as the Minister for Health and Backward Classes from 2006 to 2011. Assets were reportedly amassed in his name, as well as those of his wife P Visalatchi and friend K S P Shanmugamoorthy.
Similarly, Thangam Thenarasu is accused of acquiring assets in his name and that of his wife T Manimegalai, also disproportionate to his known sources of income, during his term as the Minister for School Education in the same period.
Also Read
The court’s directive requires Minister Ramachandran to appear before the Special Court on September 9, followed by Minister Thenarasu on September 11. Justice Venkatesh emphasized the importance of a swift and thorough trial, instructing the Special Court to conduct proceedings on a day-to-day basis and to complete the trial as expeditiously as possible.
