In a significant blow to the ruling DMK government, the Madras High Court on Tuesday declared Higher Education Minister K. Ponmudy guilty in a disproportionate assets case. The court has scheduled their appearance on December 21 for the pronouncement of the sentence. Justice G. Jeyachandran of the Madras High Court accepted the government’s appeal filed by the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) in 2017, overturning the special court’s order on April 18, 2016, which had acquitted Ponmudy and his wife Visalatchi. The trial court’s acquittal was deemed erroneous, with Justice Jeyachandran emphasizing that it failed to analyze the prosecution’s case accurately.
Upon a request from Ponmudy’s counsel N.R. Elango to suspend the sentence, enabling the minister to appeal to the Supreme Court, Justice Jeyachandran decided to consider the plea on December 21. Previously, on June 28, 2023, a principal sessions court in Vellore had acquitted Ponmudy and his wife in the disproportionate assets case due to insufficient evidence. The DVAC had registered the case against Ponmudy for accumulating wealth worth Rs 1.79 crore disproportionate to known sources of income during his tenure as the minister for mines from 1996 to 2001. The conviction adds to the challenges faced by the DMK government, already grappling with multiple cases filed by the Enforcement Directorate against sitting ministers, contributing to potential Cabinet reshuffling following Ponmudy’s conviction. Minister Senthil Balaji is presently in Puzhal Central Prison after facing accusations in a PMLA case filed by the Enforcement Directorate.
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