CHENNAI: V Annamalai, C, councillor of ward No. 196, owns properties worth about Rs 4 crore in his name and names of family members, the first Bench of the Madras High Court has been informed last week.
When the PIL from one Pon Thangavelu of Injambakkam came up before the Bench of Acting Chief Justice Huluvadi G Ramesh and Justice R Mahadevan last week, B Muralikumar, Director-General of Income-Tax (Investigation) filed a counter affidavit stating this startling news.
In his nomination papers submitted while contesting the local body election, the councillor had declared that he did not possess any asset. The counter affidavit added that Annamalai had amassed wealth, movable and immovable, worth about Rs 4 crore, in addition to another 700 grams of gold jewellery.
Originally, Thangavelu had filed a writ petition alleging that Annamalai had amassed wealth and put up constructions in utter violation of the rules.
When the writ came up before Justice N Kirubakaran last year, he directed the State Election Commissioner to file before the court the details of the declarations made by the councillor.
The judge noticed that contrary to the declaration made by Annamalai that he did not have any asset, he was in possession of about 12 properties in his and his family members’ names.
Observing that the declaration was only a farce and that there was no mechanism to verify the truth, the judge had referred the matter to the Chief Justice as public interest was involved.