The Madras High Court’s Madurai Bench has dismissed a writ petition seeking the return of Rs.2.4 crore allegedly seized from a trader during the 2011 Assembly elections.
The case was dismissed as revenue officials in Tiruchi denied having made any such seizure and challenged the petitioner to prove the alleged seizure by producing documents.
S. Muniasamy of Madurai had filed the writ petition in 2013 accusing a Revenue Divisional Officer in Tiruchi of having seized the cash on March 17, 2011.
According to him, he was a wholesale trader registered with the Commercial Tax Department apart from being an Income Tax assessee. He claimed that on the day of the alleged incident, he boarded a private bus after collecting Rs.2.4 crore from his customers in Chennai. When the bus reached Tiruchi tollgate, the RDO and other election officials stopped the vehicle for checking as the Model Code of Conduct was in forceand seized the money from him, Muniasamy claimed. He accused the officials of refusing to return the money despite making several representations after the election results were announced and the poll code was lifted.
However, in a counter affidavit filed in reply to the writ petition, the RDO denied having seized any money from the petitioner. In fact, there was no such occurrence as claimed by the petitioner,” government counsel told the court.
