Plea in MHC seeks FIR against TVK Minister Marie Wilson over bribery admission

CHENNAI: A plea has been filed in the Madras High Court seeking a direction to the DVAC to register an FIR against Finance Minister N Marie Wilson over his admission in the Assembly that he paid bribe to the then minister to secure recognition and permissions for his educational institution.

In his petition, advocate K Sivasubramaniam recalled that during the proceedings and debates in the Assembly on August 24, Marie Wilson made an open and official admission on record that he had paid a bribe to a former minister to obtain necessary approvals for his educational institution.

The admission of bribe-giving by a sitting Cabinet Minister had caused intense public outrage, affected the dignity of the Legislative Assembly, and compromised public trust in governance, he submitted.

Sivasubramaniam added that on August 27, he sent a formal written criminal complaint to the DVAC by Speed Post, seeking immediate registration of an FIR under Sections 8 and 12 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, read with Section 173 of the BNSS, 2023. However, it failed to act on the complaint, register an FIR, or initiate an investigation against Marie Wilson, he alleged.

The petitioner sought a direction to the DVAC to register an FIR against Marie Wilson based on his public admission, and conduct an independent, thorough, and time-bound investigation into the alleged extortion network in T Nagar, and regulatory violations surrounding his educational institutions.

The matter is expected to be listed for hearing shortly.