CHENNAI: A public interest litigation was filed in the Madras High Court seeking a CBI probe into the resignation of four AIADMK MLAs.
On Tuesday (June 14), the Court questioned the maintainability of the plea, noting that no materials had been produced to support the allegations and dismissed the plea.
A division bench of Chief Justice SA Dharmadhikari and Justice G Arul Murugan held that the petition was based on assumptions of corruption without providing details of any alleged transactions or the source of such information. The Bench observed that the PIL was "nothing but a classic example of a fishing expedition."
The public interest litigation was filed by advocate Ramkumar Adityan, an AIADMK member, seeking a CBI probe into alleged irregularities and corruption surrounding the resignation of four MLAs who resigned from the party after voting in favour of TVK during the floor test, allegedly in violation of the AIADMK whip.
The court noted that the affidavit merely stated that since the four MLAs had resigned within ten days and subsequently changed their political alignments, it should be presumed that horse-trading had taken place through unaccounted wealth.
The Bench further observed that while the sudden realignment of political loyalty by the four MLAs may have caused a financial burden due to the need to conduct by-elections, such political choices do not automatically amount to criminal misconduct under the Prevention of Corruption Act in the absence of proof of an unlawful quid pro quo.
Adityan alleged that the TVK was engaged in horse-trading to increase its strength in the Legislative Assembly. According to the petition, the MLAs S Jeyakumar, P Sathyabama, K Maragatham Kumaravel and Esakki Subaya resigned from their posts after the elections, resulting in what he described as a "murder of democracy." He further contended that the resignations have necessitated by-elections, which would cost the public exchequer approximately Rs 100 crore.
He also argued that, given the high-profile status of the MLAs involved, an investigation by the Director General of Police may not ensure a fair and impartial probe and could dilute efforts to uncover the truth. Citing the urgency and seriousness of the allegations, the petitioner urged the court to order a CBI investigation.