NEW DELHI: In a partial relief to the former Higher Education minister of Tamil Nadu, K Ponmudy and his wife, P Visalakhi, the Supreme Court on Friday granted exemption to them from surrendering before the trial court, following the Madras High Court's conviction order against the duo in a disproportionate assets case.
The application, filed by the former Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) minister, Ponmudy and his wife, was heard by the Supreme Court Judge, Justice Satish Chandra Sharma in his chamber today. After going through their appeal, he granted exemption to the minister and his wife, on the ground of their health condition.
It is to be noted that their exemption is till the next date of hearing by the Supreme Court when it would hear the matter again.
The former DMK Minister K Ponmudy and his wife, Visalakhi had knocked on the doors of the Supreme Court on January first week, challenging their conviction and three-year imprisonment in a Rs 1.75-crore disproportionate assets case.
Ponmudy, 73 and Visalakhi, 68, had filed their respective Special Leave Petitions (SLP) before the Top court challenging their conviction and sentence and seeking to set aside their conviction and sentence.
On behalf of Ponmudy and his wife, Visalakhi, advocates Agarwala and Pulkit Tare have filed the SLPs before the Top court challenging their conviction and sentence, They are, in their SLP, seeking a stay of the order of the Madras HC and exemption from surrendering.
On December 22 last year, the Madras High Court, in its order, had sentenced the senior party leader and state’s former higher education minister Ponmudy and his wife to three-year imprisonment in a Rs 1.75-crore disproportionate assets case.
Justice G Jayachandran of the Madras HC, in the order, held the couple guilty under the Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act, 1988, and also imposed a fine of Rs 50 lakh each on Ponmudy and his wife, P Visalakhi.
The court, however, granted the couple one month to surrender before the trial court to undergo the prison sentencing in the case. It did so, keeping in view their age and other factors.
Following the order of the Madras HC, which sentenced Ponmudy to a three-year prison term, he stands disqualified as a legislator from the Thirukoyyilur constituency, in accordance with the Representation of the People (RP) Act.
Ponmudy claimed that the case against him was filed out of vengeance by the previous AIADMK regime and he claimed innocence in the case.