CHENNAI: The Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), Chennai, has ordered an interim stay on criminal proceedings against suspended senior IPS officer M S Jaffar Sait, accused in a fraudulent allotment of a residential plot of the Tamil Nadu Housing Board, worth several crores.
He is currently under suspension after being issued three charge memos and the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) had filed a case against him and six others for fraudulently obtaining crores worth residential plot in the posh Besant Nagar originally belonging to Tamil Nadu Housing Board.
In his petition, Sait contented that the Union Home Ministry had rejected the state government’s request to accord sanction to prosecute him. He also said that the state government didn’t give him details sought by him to file replies.
On August 6, the State Government issued him a charge memo. Following this, Sait submitted a request seeking certain documents enabling him to file reply and prepare an affidavit.
Based on his petition, the bench, comprising judicial member K Elango and administrative member P Prabhakaran, ordered notice to the Union Home Ministry, Ministry of Personnel and Training, State government and DVAC. The bench also directed the authorities to maintain status quo with regard to the inquiry as well as the three charge memorandums and posted the mater on January 6 for further hearing.
DVAC had filed the chargesheet last year against seven persons - Jaffar Sait, his wife Parveen, Tamil Nadu housing Board Executive Engineer K Murugaiyyan, former chief minister M Karunanidhi’s secretary G Rajamanickam, his son Durga Shankar, former minister I Periyasamy and T Udhayakumar of Landmark Constructions.
After the case was registered in July 2011, the Additional Director-General of police was placed under suspension since then.