With the Central government submitting before the Madras High Court that the file relating to sanction for prosecuting the suspended Additional Director-General of Police, M.S.Jaffar Sait, in a Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act case, is pending with the Prime Minister’s Office, the court directed the trial court to adjourn the case to November 29 without insisting on the personal appearance of the accused.
The case is pending before the Special Judge for PC Act Cases, Chennai. It is scheduled to come up on November 11. Following the High Court order, it will now be taken up on November 29.
The case related to the alleged allotment of a housing plot under the Government Discretionary Quota (GDQ) in the name of Mr.Sait’s wife at Tiruvanmiyur here by the Tamil Nadu Housing Board (TNHB.) Mr.Sait challenged the proceedings before the Special Court primarily on the ground that the Centre had not accorded sanction under Section 19 of the PC Act to prosecute him. The sanction was a pre-condition for taking cognisance of an alleged offence committed by an all-India Service officer.
When the matter came up before Justice K.K.Sasidharan, the Central Government Senior Standing Counsel submitted that the file relating to sanction was pending in the Prime Minister’s Office. Four weeks are required to dispose of the file. Following this, the Judge adjourned the matter to November 27.
