CHENNAI: Ordering notice to the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC), sitting Minister I Periyasamy of DMK and ex-Minister B Valarmathi of AIADMK on a suo motu review case, the Madras High Court on Friday said that a can of worms is opened and many would come out of it.
Justice N Anand Venkatesh, who is on a self-avowed mission to review the orders of the trial court discharging political leaders from graft cases, said, “It is like a can of worms is opened. I become sick to look into case after case.”
Saying that he is getting tired of looking into such cases on a regular basis, the judge said that at the end of the day, somebody has to do this.
When going deeper into the issue, a pattern is coming up on the way the graft cases are approached, he said.
“There is systemic problems and failure. The problem has reached a stage where any case can be closed,” he said adding only, "God can save the institution".
Ruing that the legislators do not want to face the trial but want to escape the clutches of the criminal justice system, the judge asked them to "face the trial and come clean", instead of running away.
Justice Anand Venkatesh blamed the DVAC for having become politicians but added that he did not know "what type of pressure they are undergoing" to close the cases against political leaders.
The suo motu review is being made on an order of a special court for MP/MLAs discharging Periyasamy from a graft case involving illegal allotment of housing site to a personal security officer of late leader M Karunanidhi while Valarmathi came under the scanner for her discharge in a disproportionate assets case.
The judge had already taken such revision of trial court orders acquitting TN Ministers K Ponmudi, Thangam Thennarsu KKSSR Ramachandran and former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam in graft cases.