CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has refused to discharge former minister and DMK MLA MRK Panneerselvam and his family members from a `3.01 crore disproportionate assets case registered in 2011 when AIADMK was in power.
Justice V Lakshminarayanan, on Tuesday, dismissed the petition filed by the former minister and directed the trial court, the principal sessions and district court, Cuddalore, to frame charges and proceed as directed by the high court earlier.
The petition pertains to the FIR registered in 2011 for allegedly amassing Rs 3.01 crore during his tenure as health minister in 2006-11 when DMK was in power.
The case was then heard by the chief judicial magistrate court in Cuddalore which discharged the former minister and his family members from the case in 2016 after finding the disproportionate assets amounted to 6.4% well below the permitted level of 10%.
The DVAC filed an appeal against the order in the Madras High Court which set aside the CJM’s order in 2025. The case was taken back to file and was transferred to the principal sessions and district judge.
Panneerselvam and his family approached the principal sessions and district court for discharging them from the case but the plea was turned down on June 30.
Challenging this order, they have approached the high court. Justice Lakshminarayanan said, “As far as the extent of alleged disproportionate income, being less than 10%, is concerned, these are not matters which can be dealt with in an application for discharge.”
He added, “The scope of inquiry is whether the allegations made against the petitioners herein are groundless. This court is not able to come to the conclusion that it is so.”