The Madras High Court today dismissed a petition filed by former AIADMK Minister K.C. Veeramani, who sought to quash a case against him for allegedly concealing asset details by providing a fake PAN number in his 2021 election nomination papers.
The ruling came after the Election Commission of India (ECI) informed the court that its investigation confirmed Veeramani had indeed submitted false information.
The case originated from a complaint filed by Ramamoorthy, a businessman from Vellore, with the ECI. He alleged that Veeramani, who contested from the Jolarpettai constituency in Tirupattur district during the 2021 assembly elections, had significantly understated his assets in his nomination affidavit. Based on this complaint, the Election Commission had initiated proceedings against Veeramani in the Tirupattur Criminal Magistrate Court.
Veeramani subsequently filed a petition in the Chennai High Court to have these proceedings annulled. The High Court had previously issued an interim stay on the Tirupattur court’s trial.
During today’s hearing, the Election Commission presented its findings, asserting that Veeramani had used a fraudulent PAN number to conceal his true financial position and that the details provided in his nomination form were indeed false.
Accepting the submissions made by the Election Commission, the Chennai High Court dismissed K.C. Veeramani’s petition, paving the way for the case to proceed in the lower court.