CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Thursday directed the Central Crime Branch (CCB) of Greater Chennai Police (GCP) to file a counter-affidavit on the petitions filed against merger of the charge sheets in the job racket cases registered against Tamil Nadu Minister for Electricity V Senthil Balaji.
Justice G K Ilanthiraiyan issued the direction while hearing the petitions filed by the Anti-Corruption Movement, an NGO.
The petitioner had challenged the order of the special court for MP/MLA cases to merge the four additional charge sheets filed by the CCB after conducting further investigation into the racket involving recruitment to the posts of junior engineer, driver, conductor and junior tradesman to the transport corporation during Senthil Balaji’s tenure as Transport Minister between 2011-15 in the Jayalalithaa Cabinet.Advocate N Subramanian, appearing for the petitioner, submitted that separate charge sheets were filed initially with respect to the posts and later further investigation was conducted and additional charge sheets were filed. All the charge sheets were merged and such action would lead to a long delay of trial.
He told the court that the number of accused rose to 2,256 from 47 and the witnesses increased to 668 from 112 following the merger of the FIRs. It will take a whopping 1,500 years for completing cross-examination of the witnesses by the accused persons, he said. The counsel sought the court to stay the merger of the charge sheets.
However, the judge refused to grant stay, instead, he directed the police to file a counter-affidavit by March 13 and posted the matter to the same date.
Government advocate K M D Muhilan informed the court that further investigation was conducted by the police following a direction of the Supreme Court and the trial court decided to merge all the additional charge sheets in the case. Sections of Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA) were incorporated in the additional charge sheets against the accused persons, he said.
HC dismisses appeal by Veerappan’s nephew for Rs 20L compensation
Chennai : The Madras HC on Thursday dismissed an appeal filed by smuggler Veerappan’s nephew challenging an order dismissing his petition praying for a direction to the state to pay compensation of Rs 20 lakh for the alleged custodial death of his father G Arjunan. The appeal was filed by A Sathish Kumar of Anjetti in Krishnagiri district.
Court bins Tangedco contract workers’ petition for holding protests at all district headquarters
Chennai: Justice G K Ilanthiraiyan of the Madras High Court on Thursday dismissed a petition filed by the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (Tangedco) contract workers’ union seeking a direction to the Director General of Police (DGP) to grant permission for holding a stir in all the district headquarters pressing for their long-pending demand of regularising the contract workers. Following the submission of government advocate KMD Muhilan that the organisation should seek permission from the SPs concerned for holding the protest and the DGP cannot grant such permission, the judge dismissed the petition.