The Madras High Court has dismissed a petition seeking a detailed probe against former AIADMK minister K.C. Veeramani, imposing a cost of ₹1 lakh on the petitioner for misusing the judicial process.
Veeramani, who contested the 2021 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections from the Jolarpet constituency, was defeated. Following the election, B. Ramamoorthy of Vellore approached the Election Commission alleging that Veeramani had suppressed asset details and furnished incorrect information in the affidavit filed along with his nomination papers.
Acting on the complaint, the Election Commission sought a report from the Income Tax Department after examining Veeramani’s income disclosures. The department, after comparing the assets declared in the nomination affidavit with the tax returns, submitted an interim report pointing to a discrepancy of around ₹14 crore.
Based on this interim finding, the Election Officer initiated prosecution against Veeramani before the Tirupattur court on charges of furnishing false information in the nomination papers. That case is presently pending trial.
Subsequently, Ramamoorthy moved the High Court alleging that the Income Tax Department had failed to conduct a comprehensive inquiry and sought a direction for a full-fledged investigation and submission of a final report.
Hearing the matter, a division bench comprising Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Justice G. Arul Murugan observed that prosecution had already been launched for the alleged false declaration and that it was for the Income Tax Department to decide whether a detailed investigation was warranted. The bench also questioned how the petitioner was personally aggrieved by the matter.
Noting that courts should not be used as tools for political rivalry during election periods, the bench dismissed the petition and imposed a ₹1 lakh cost on the petitioner.