Issue fresh order to attach Ponmudy assets, DVAC told

Issue fresh order to attach Ponmudy assets, DVAC told In a significant development, the Madras High Court has directed the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) to issue a fresh order for the attachment of properties belonging to the convicted former Minister K Ponmudy in connection with the 2011 disproportionate assets (DA) case. This decision comes in the aftermath of the court dismissing an appeal by the DVAC challenging the earlier Villupuram trial court order to unfreeze Ponmudy’s properties. Justice G Jayachandran, while acknowledging that the trial court’s order to unfreeze the properties was not entirely correct, emphasized that it cannot be reversed now due to the passage of time. However, he underscored that with both accused in the DA case having been convicted by the court, the trial court’s order no longer holds validity. Consequently, the Madras High Court has instructed the DVAC to issue a fresh order freezing Ponmudy’s properties. The roots of this legal saga date back to 2011 when the DVAC, Villupuram, initiated action against K Ponmudy and his wife in the DA case. The allegations centered around the former minister and his spouse purportedly amassing Rs 1.79 crore disproportionately to their known sources of income during the check period spanning from April 13, 2006, to March 31, 2010. Notably, this period coincided with Ponmudy’s tenure as the Minister for Higher Education and Mines. The DVAC had previously ordered the freezing of Ponmudy’s properties in connection with the case. However, the trial court had overruled this decision, leading to the recent legal battle and subsequent directives from the Madras High Court.