The Madras High Court on Tuesday dismissed as withdrawn a public interest litigation that sought the registration of cheating and money-laundering cases against Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay. The petitioner had alleged suppression of financial transactions and receipt of unaccounted cash as remuneration by the chief minister.
Petition Withdrawn
The first bench of Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G Arul Murugan passed the order on a plea moved by M Rajkumar, a resident of Kodungaiyur. When the matter came up for hearing, the petitioner's counsel sought permission to withdraw the plea. The court allowed the request and dismissed the petition as withdrawn.
Petitioner's Demands
Rajkumar had urged the court to direct the Income Tax Department to examine the materials and findings from the search proceedings conducted at Vijay's residence on September 30, 2015. He also sought scrutiny of the sworn statement recorded, assessment proceedings, and the Rs 1.5 crore penalty order passed against the chief minister. Additionally, the petitioner wanted appropriate prosecution under relevant provisions of the Income Tax Act.
Furthermore, the plea requested the court to direct law enforcement authorities to register an FIR and investigate cognizable offences under Sections 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery), 470, 471, and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code. The alleged offences related to suppression of income, receipt of unaccounted cash remuneration, and concealment of financial transactions disclosed during the search.
The court did not go into the merits of the case as the petitioner chose to withdraw the petition. The dismissal was therefore without any adjudication on the allegations.
