High Court confirms jail for Sasikala kin in DA case

CBI registered the case in 1997; Baskaran and wife Sreedhaladevi were awarded 5, 3 years RI, respectively, in 2008.
AIADMK leader VK Sasikala (File | EPS)
AIADMK leader VK Sasikala (File | EPS)

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Thursday confirmed the order of a Special Court for CBI Cases here convicting S R Baskaran and his wife Sreedhaladevi, both close relatives of ousted general secretary of AIADMK and now imprisoned V K Sasikala, for offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act and Indian Penal Code. In 2008, Baskaran and Sreedhaladevi were awarded five and three years rigorous imprisonment, respectively.

Justice G Jayachandran upheld the order dated August 26, 2008, while dismissing a plea challenging the sentence.

“Through documentary and ocular evidence, the prosecution has proved the guilt of the accused to the core,” the judge said.

According to prosecution, Baskaran joined Reserve Bank of India as a clerk in December 1988. He married Sridhaladevi, sister of AIADMK rebel leader T T V Dhinakaran on August 26, 1990. The CBI registered a case on November 24, 1997, and conducted searches at various places in March and June and the bank locker on June 29, 1998.

On searching Baskaran’s bank locker at Santhome branch of TNSC bank, 18 gold bars were seized. The final report of the prosecution alleged that Baskaran, a public servant, had amassed assets disproportionate to known sources of his income to the extent of `1.69 crore in his wife’s name. Before joining service, he disclosed his total assets to Income Tax Department as `2.96 lakh only.

The investment in movable and immovable assets, cash, gold and silver articles seized during the search of the premises, by no stretch of imagination gives an impression that they were acquired through legal source. In this case, the receipt of the receiving resource for the property held by the accused had never been intimated by them in accordance with the I-T Act. What they had done was after the search of his premises and seizure of evidences, they had filed I-T returns under block assessment admitting the undisclosed income and came forward to pay the tax, the judge said.

On payment of tax, liability for non-payment of tax gets absolved. But it does not purify the source of income if it is tainted. It is found that the said admitted undisclosed income of both exceeds far and above the known legitimate source. The reasons stated by the appellants to escalate certain assets and to give credit to certain alleged income, do not merit any consideration. “Therefore, concession percentage of disproportionality does not arise. In the result, criminal appeals are dismissed,” the judge said.

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