Institute of Legal and Management Studies

The Supreme Court on August 18 stayed the proceedings against Tamil Nadu Rural Development Minister I Periyasamy in a disproportionate asset case.

The bench of Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice AG Masih issued notice in the matter and ordered a stay on the proceedings before the Trial Court. The relevant part of the order states :

"There shall be stay of proceedings in Special CC No. 27 of 2014 pending before the Chief Judicial Magistrate cum Special Judge for Prevention of Corruption Act Cases, Dindigul."

Sr Advocates Kapil Sibal and V Giri appeared for the Minister.

The bench was hearing the challenge by Periysamay against the Madras HC order, which set aside his discharge by the Trial Court in a disproportionate assets case.

Justice P Velmurugan of the High Court had set aside the order passed by the Special Judge, Dindigul, discharging the Minister and his family. The court directed the special court to frame charges against the accused person and complete the trial within 6 months.

The allegation against Periyasamy was that, while serving as the Minister for Revenue and Prisons between 2006 and 2011, he had accumulated wealth disproportionate to his known sources of income. As per the Department of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption, the Minister was in possession of disproportionate assets to the tune of Rs. 2.01 crore and thus registered the case in 2012 under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Though Periyasamy and other accused claimed that the prosecution had wrongly calculated the total wealth and that the entire case was based on political motive, the court dismissed these contentions and said that the same could be taken up at the time of the trial.

The court also found fault with the findings of the special judge and noted that at the time of framing the charges, the court had to give an opportunity to the prosecution t o make its case instead of rendering its own findings.

Periyasamy is the third Minister whose discharge in the disproportionate asset case has been set aside by the High Court. The same court had set aside the discharge of TN Ministers Durai Murugan and MRK Panneerselvam from the disproportionate assets case.

Case Details: I. PERIASAMY vs. STATE REPRESENTED BY THE PUBLIC PROSECUTOR| Diary No. - 31484/2025

Click here to read the order.