MADURAI: Dismissing the plea of the former minister M K Alagiri to quash the FIR registered against him by the District Crime Branch police in the land grabbing case, the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court directed the police to complete the investigation within 16 weeks and submit a report to it.
Observing that there were prima facie evidences in the land grab case filed against Alagiri recently, Justice N Kirubakaran said the materials clearly prove criminal conspiracy, and cheating. There was dishonest way of inducing the delivery of the Property to the Alagiri Educational Trust, which purchased the land for Daya College of Engineering (DCE). Further charges of forgery for the purpose of cheating and use of forged documents as genuine ones have also been levelled.
“It is an offence which requires investigation,” the Judge said and directed the Investigating officer (IO) to complete the investigation within 16 weeks and submit a report.
Justice Kirubakaran said the delay in the initiation of complaint and criminal proceedings also could not be a ground for quashing the FIR. Going by the petitioner’s argument that the complaint had been filed at a time when the Supreme Court was to provide a favourable order on the Special Leave Petition regarding the affiliation for the DCE, the judge said that the temple executive officer, who alleged that 44 cents had been grabbed by the Alagiri Educational trust for the college, was not a party to the affiliation case proceedings (relating to the college) pending before the apex court.
On Alagiri contention that the land grab case had been filed against him with political vendetta, Justice Kirubakaran observed, “There is noting to prove that the prosecution is mala fide. The investigation is in threshold and witnesses are being examined.”