CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Wednesday rejected the objections raised by the Tamil Nadu government against Centre’s Additional Solicitor General (ASG) SV Raju appearing for ex-minister and AIADMK leader SP Velumani in the corruption cases filed by the DVAC. The first bench of Chief Justice Munishwar Nath Bhandari and Justice N Mala gave the ruling brushing aside the objections by Advocate General (AG) R Shunmugasundaram.
“SV Raju is representing the petitioner (Velumani) pursuant to the permission expressly granted for it and unless it is withdrawn, the objection regarding the representation of the party by the ASG cannot be accepted. Thus, even the second objection raised by the AG cannot sustain and is rejected,” the bench said in the order.
Further, the bench dismissed the objections raised by the State government to the first bench hearing the petitions filed by Velumani seeking to quash two FIRs filed against him in 2021 and 2022 in connection with the alleged irregularities in the tender award in Chennai and Coimbatore municipal corporations and amassing disproportionate assets.
The original petitions can be assigned to a division bench hearing criminal cases involving the sitting or former MPs and MLAs but they have to be heard along with the PIL (filed by Arappor Iyakkam) and the criminal original petition (filed by DMK’s RS Bharathi) which can be addressed only by the first bench having exclusive roster of PIL in view of the judgment of the apex court.
Moreover, if the original petitions filed by Velumani are assigned to the division bench hearing cases criminal cases involving sitting or former MPs and MLAs, the said division bench cannot hear the PIL, the bench noted.
Source: https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/tamil-nadu/2022/sep/08/madras-hc-rejects-tns-objection-to-asg-appearing-for-velumani-2496017.html
