Chennai, Oct 12:
The Madras High Court on Monday dismissed a petition seeking registration of a case against Tamil Nadu Finance Minister N. Maria Wilson over his remarks in the Assembly that he had personally witnessed bribery during the previous DMK regime.
The public interest litigation was filed by advocate K. Sivasubramaniam, who sought a direction to the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) to register a case against the Minister under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
In his petition, the advocate stated that Maria Wilson had spoken in the Assembly about paying a bribe during the previous DMK government to secure permission for an educational institution. Contending that giving a bribe was also an offence, he said he had lodged a complaint with the DVAC on August 26 seeking action against the Minister, but no case had been registered.
The petitioner sought a direction to the DVAC to register a case based on the complaint and the Minister’s remarks.
The case came up for hearing before a Division Bench comprising Chief Justice S.A. Dharmadhikari and Justice G. Arulmurgan. During the hearing, the petitioner’s counsel sought permission to withdraw the petition.
Accepting the request, the Bench permitted the withdrawal and dismissed the petition. The court’s order followed the petitioner’s decision to withdraw the case and did not constitute a ruling on the merits of the allegations against the Minister.