CHENNAI: During the cross-examination of former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam before the Madras High Court, counsel appearing for MP K Navas Kani questioned whether a former Finance Minister of Tamil Nadu could claim to have forgotten details of his own assets.
In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Indian Union Muslim League candidate K Navas Kani, who contested from the Ramanathapuram constituency as part of the DMK-led alliance, won by securing 1.66 lakhs more votes than former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, who contested as an independent candidate.
Subsequently, O Panneerselvam filed an election petition before the Madras High Court seeking to declare Navas Kani's election invalid, alleging that he had committed various irregularities and suppressed material facts in his nomination papers.
When the matter came up for hearing before Justice CV Karthikeyan, cross-examination of O Panneerselvam was conducted by counsel for MP Navas Kani and several questions were raised regarding the nomination papers filed by O Panneerselvam, the occupations mentioned therein, the income derived from them, and details relating to his lands and properties.
However, when questioned about the lands mentioned in his nomination papers, O Panneerselvam replied that he did not remember the details. At this point, counsel for Navas Kani asked whether a person who had served as the State's Finance Minister could say that he did not remember such details.
In response, Panneerselvam said that his auditor would know those particulars.
As he was unable to answer several questions, a visibly upset former chief minister questioned why he alone was being subjected to cross-examination in the election petition filed by him.
He further stated that upon knowing that some of the lands purchased by him were Panchami lands, he had returned them.
Since the cross-examination could not be concluded, the judge adjourned the hearing of the case to January 9.