The Supreme Court on Monday stayed a Madras High Court order that had reversed the discharge of Tamil Nadu Rural Development Minister I Periyasamy, his wife P. Suseela, and two sons – Palani MLA P. Senthilkumar and P. Prabhu – from 2012 disproportionate assets (DA) case and directed them to face trial.
A Bench led by Justice Dipankar Datta issued notice to the Tamil Nadu government on the petition filed by Periyasamy and his family, who had challenged the High Court’s April 28 ruling. The case has been tagged with another petition filed by the Minister that is already pending before the apex court.
The High Court, through a suo motu intervention by Justice N. Anand Venkatesh, had earlier set aside a 2017 trial court order that discharged the Minister and his family, and ordered that the DA case proceed to trial.
Periyasamy, represented by senior advocate V. Giri and advocate Ram Sankar, argued that the case was politically motivated and foisted on him during the AIADMK regime in 2012. He submitted that similar allegations relating to his income between 1996 and 2001 had been dismissed in 2017, with neither the High Court nor the Supreme Court interfering.
The petition contended that the prosecution had manipulated figures by duplicating calculations of income tax returns, thereby inflating the net income. It claimed that the Income Tax Department had already scrutinised and accepted the family’s returns, and that no undisclosed properties or money were found.
The case, registered by the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) in 2012, accused Periyasamy and his family of amassing assets disproportionate to known sources of income. The Minister has insisted that his wife and sons are majors with independent earnings.
In March 2023, a Special Court for corruption cases had discharged him, citing lack of sanction under Section 197 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. However, the High Court later revived the case, ruling that the discharge was improper.
The apex court also noted that it had earlier, in April 2024, stayed proceedings in a separate corruption case involving Periyasamy. That case concerned the alleged allotment of a Tamil Nadu Housing Board plot in 2008–09 to a security officer of then Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi, when Periyasamy was Housing Minister.
The Supreme Court will now hear both petitions together.
(With inputs from The Hindu)
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