CHENNAI: In a big relief to former AIADMK Minister TM Selvaganapathy, the Madras High Court on Tuesday set aside the conviction and sentence of two years imprisonment in the infamous cremation shed scam.
Justice G Jayachandran pronounced the orders in a 2014 appeal filed by the ex-minister by setting aside the order of the CBI court which convicted him along with five others including two IAS officers JT Acharyalu and M Satyamurthy, for committing the offence of swindling public funds.
“The conviction is set aside,” the judge said and dismissed the appeals filed by the CBI against the trial court exonerating him from the charges of criminal conspiracy.
Following the conviction, Selvaganapathy who switched over to DMK and became a Rajya Sabha Member, resigned from the MP post.
The CBI charged him with causing loss to the exchequer in the construction of cremation sheds in Nagapattinam district under the Jawahar Rojgar Yojana, a Central government scheme when he was holding the portfolio of local administration in 1995.