Madras High Court Sets Aside Discharge, Minister Periyasamy To Face Trial In Tamil Nadu Housing Board Plot Allotment Case

The Madras High Court, on Monday (26 February), overturned a trial court's decision from last year, which had absolved Rural Development Minister I Periyasamy from a case involving the alleged irregular allocation of a Tamil Nadu Housing Board (TNHB) plot to the personal security officer of former chief minister M Karunanidhi.

Justice N Anand Venkatesh instructed the minister to stand trial alongside two other accused individuals in the case.

He mandated that the proceedings be conducted on a day-to-day basis and directed the trial court to detain the accused in judicial custody if they employed any delaying tactics, as per a report by The Hindu.

Additionally, the High Court ordered periodic progress reports on the trial to be submitted to the Registrar General.

The case stems from the allotment of a high-income group plot in Chennai to Ganesan, the personal security officer of the late CM M Karunanidhi, for his reputed service as a government servant during Periyasamy's tenure as housing minister under the DMK regime in March 2008.

The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) initiated the case after the AIADMK assumed power in 2011.

Although Legislative Assembly Speaker P Dhanabal sanctioned prosecution on 17 December 2012, Periyasamy filed a discharge petition in 2016, arguing, among other things, that the Governor, not the Speaker, should have granted sanction.

Despite the special court for MP/MLA cases rejecting the discharge petition on 6 July 2016, the High Court and the Supreme Court affirmed this decision in November and December 2022 respectively.

In a subsequent attempt, Periyasamy filed another discharge petition on 21 February 2023, reiterating that only the Governor possessed the authority to grant sanction.

This time, the special court accepted the argument, leading to a discharge order on 17 March 2023, prompting the High Court's suo motu revision in September 2023.