CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Friday suspended Mahendra Boopathy, judicial magistrate of the Melur court in Madurai district, who recently acquitted two granite barons, for failing to comply with its orders in hearing the granite scam cases.
Sources close to the registry confirmed that the suspension order was passed after going through the report submitted by a two-member judge committee, which enquired into the charges against the judge.
Last week, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High court recommended to the Chief Justice to take disciplinary action against the judicial magistrate since he had violated directives of the High Court when hearing the granite scam case.
Just days after the strictures from the High Court, Mahendra Boopathy, in a controversial ruling, acquitted the ill-famed PRP Granites and another company owned by one Sagadevan, from a private complaint lodged by the District Collector. He, instead, initiated proceedings against Anshul Mishra, who was then the District Collector, on charges of “suppressing facts”.
On Thursday, Principal District Judge A M Basheer Ahamed and Chief Judicial Magistrate P Saravanan made a surprise visit and held an inquiry in the judicial magistrate’s chamber for nearly two hours.
According to judiciary sources, the judges questioned him about his ruling on two private complaints preferred by Anshul Mishra against two granite companies including PRP Granites.
While the details of the report submitted by the judges were not made public, Justice P N Prakash, in an order on March 24, lashed out at the manner in which the judicial magistrate Mahendra Boopathy has conducted the proceedings in the granite scam.
The court observed that Boopathy took cognizance of theft alone, leaving out grave offences wherein the accused could be prosecuted under the MMDA, TNPPDL Act, Explosive Substance Act and SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
The accused persons in the senasational case include granite baron P R Palanisamy.