NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday stayed an April 28 Madras High Court order that had reversed the discharge of Rural Development Minister I Periyasamy and his family members in a 2012 disproportionate assets (DA) case, and directed them to face trial.
Periyasamy, his wife P Suseela, and sons P Prabhu and P Senthilkumar, the Palani MLA, were among the accused in the case. A bench of the top court, headed by Justice Dipankar Datta, which was hearing the appeal filed by the minister and his family members against the HC order setting aside the trial court’s verdict, issued notice to Tamil Nadu and sought its reply.
Five hours after the SC order, the Enforcement Directorate, in a statement, said its searches on Saturday on the premises of Periyasamy and his family members had led to the seizure of documents related to properties and investments.
The ED’s money laundering probe, of which Saturday’s searches were a part, had used as predicate offence the same Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-corruption case which the HC had revived and the SC had stayed on Monday.
The agency said it found certain paper companies being operated from the premises of Irulappa Mills India Private Limited, a firm in which the minister and his younger son P Prabhu are directors. In a statement, ED said it is analysing the seized digital devices and accounts of the companies linked to Periyasamy. Further probe is under progress, the agency said.
Earlier, senior advocate V Giri and advocate Ram Sankar, challenging the HC’s decision, argued that these cases were the fallout of political rivalry.
Court discharged min & kin in 2023
The trial court had, on March 17, 2023, discharged Periyasamy and his kin from the DA case over lack of evidence. The minister and his family were accused of having acquired assets worth Rs 2.01 crore disproportionate to their known sources of income between 2006-10 when Periyasamy was a DMK minister. However, in April 2025, the HC set aside the discharge order and ordered the trial to be initiated against them again. Periyasamy challenged the SC order and sought its reversal.
(With inputs from Siddharth Prabhakar @ Chennai)