Former DMK Minister K Ponmudy, wife moves SC challenging their conviction, sentence
NEW DELHI: Former DMK Minister K Ponmudy and his wife, P Visalakhi have knocked on the doors of the Supreme Court 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.
A senior Supreme Court registry official said that their SLP would likely to come up for a hearing before the Apex Court, most likely in two or three weeks, depending upon the importance and sensitivity of the case.
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.
Their lawyers are likely to mention before the bench, headed by the CJI for early listing within this week.
On December 22 last year, the Madras High Court, in its order, had sentenced the senior party leader and state’s higher education minister K 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, 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 was 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.