Madras HC directs petitioner seeking to revive corruption charge against Stalin, to place relevant judgements

CHENNAI: The Chief Bench of the Madras High Court directed a petitioner challenging the cancellation of sanction to probe against Chief Minister MK Stalin in an alleged flyover corruption charge, to produce Court's order whether the Assembly Speaker's order can be challenged after 17 years.

The first division bench comprising Chief Justice S V Gangapurwala and Justice J Sathya Narayana Prasad heard a Petition moved by Manickam Athappa Gounder to seeking to initiate the probe.

The bench directed the petitioner to place the Court's order allowing to test the order of Assembly Speaker and such order can be challenged after 17 years. The bench posted the matter to June 7, for further submission.

The petitioner alleged that during 1996 - 2001 DMK regime Rs.115 crore of public money was swindled by the then CM M Karunanidhi, then Mayor MK Stalin and minister K Ponmudy through the various projects of flayovers in the capital.

Later, in 2001 the then AIADMK government initiated probe against the top politicians and charge sheets were also filed.

Subsequently, when the regime changed in the State, the sanction allowing to probe against the politicians were cancelled in 2006, said the petitioner.

Since, a series of suo motu revisions were initiated against the discharge of the politicians from disproportionate asset cases, it is a farce that sanction for probe was cancelled, said the petitioner