In a significant legal development, the Madras High Court has directed Minister Thangam Thennarasu to commence his side arguments on November 28 in a suo motu case initiated against his discharge from a disproportionate assets (DA) case. The case has garnered attention due to its implications for the minister and the legal proceedings involved.
Justice G Jayachandran, presiding over the case, directed the service of paper books to all accused parties, including Minister Thangam Thennarasu. It’s noteworthy that the Supreme Court has already granted permission for the Madras High Court (MHC) to hear a similar suo motu case initiated against another minister, K Ponmudy.
Senior counsel A Ramesh, representing Minister Thangam Thennarasu, argued to revise the suo motu initiation, claiming that there is no substantial ground in the case against the minister. Following this submission, the judge noted the importance of submitting contentions for review, which will be carefully examined, and orders will be issued in accordance with the court’s jurisdiction.
The roots of this legal saga trace back to 2012 when the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) filed a case against Thangam Thennarasu and his wife, Manimegalai, for allegedly amassing wealth between 2006 and 2010. This period coincided with Thangam Thennarasu’s tenure as the education minister of the then DMK regime.
Both cases were transferred to the Srivilliputhur special judge, citing administrative reasons. However, in a surprising turn of events, following the DMK’s return to power in 2021, Thangam Thennarasu and his wife were discharged from the DA cases by the Srivilliputhur special court.
On August 23, Justice Anand Venkatesh reopened the case by initiating a criminal revision suo-motu and issued notices to all accused parties, including Minister Thangam Thennarasu.