The Madras High Court today directed a special court here to dispose of within four months the 17-year-old disproportionate wealth case against former Tamil Nadu minister C Aranganayakam.
The case, filed by Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption in 1998 under Prevention of Corruption Act, was that during 1991 to 1996 Aranganayakam, who was a minister in the then AIADMK government, had possessed properties worth Rs 1,15,01,352 which were were disproportionate to his known sources of income.
The case was pending for the last 17 years.
Justice C T Selvam, who dismissed an appeal by Aranganayakam against the trial court verdict making absolute the attachment of his property, expressed dissatisfaction over the delay in pursuing the case and observed that "it is the duty of this court to inform and record its great displeasure in the action/inaction of the state agencies in earnestly not pursuing the proceedings before this court".
"What is the effect?. In a case in which wrong doings between 1991 and 1996 are alleged, the final report has been filed in 2006. The order of the Court below was of the year 1998. Since the over 17 long years, the matter has been pending", the judge said.
"A perusal of the docket suggests that the matter has not been listed between September 2001 and November 2011. Leave alone the question of why in a case alleging offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act, more particularly disproportionate possession of assets, the FIR of the year 1996 resulted in the filing of a charge sheet only after 10 long years.... The questions, of who is responsible for pendency of proceedings in the court over 17 long years, what, if any, are the vested interests and are none accountable for an answer", the judge asked and asked the trial court to dispose of the case within four months.
