Madras High Court bench today transferred to CB-CID, a criminal case registered against the president and ward member of Naduvakurichi panchayat in Tuticorin district for allegedly cheating the villagers of Rs 24 lakh by collecting money from them for providing drinking water connections.
Justice S.Vaidhyanathan, allowing a petition by a villager K Perumal, said it was clear from the facts of the case that the two had collected the money in the name of "Thattarmadam consumer sangam" and did not hand over the amount to the Government for implementing the scheme.
The Petitioner submitted the two, Anandakumar and Jeyamurugan, had collected Rs 4,000 each from 600 persons. He objected, saying the Collector had not given permission to give water connection, to which they said the money was being collected for implementation under a self-financing scheme.
The duo told him they had given receipts stating that the funds were collected by the Sangam (through which the scheme would be implemented).
The petitioner then filed a query under RTI to which officials replied no such sangam existed, following which he filed a police complaint.
However no action was taken and so the petitioner filed a case before a Judicial Magistrate court, seeking a direction to the police to act on his complaint.
He said the inspector had not filed any chargesheet in the Judicial magistrate court and hence he moved the High Court.
The petitioner said the High Court was also misinformed that the case had been closed by the Judicial magistrate court after the inspector submitted a report that it was a 'mistake of fact' complaint.
The fact was, the Inspector had not filed a final report in the Judicial magistrate court, the petitioner said and prayed that the court direct the inspector to file his final report and also transfer the case to CB-CID for further investigation.
