DVAC files 10,000 page chargesheet against former T.N. Minister K.P. Anbalagan in disproportionate assets case

This is the first case in which a chargesheet has been filed against a former AIADMK minister since the DMK government took over; the case was initially pegged at ₹11.32 crore but was later revised to ₹45.2 crore; Mr. Anabalagan, the Palacode MLA, has been charged along with several of his family members and close associates

The chargesheet by the DVAC brought against former AIADMK minister K. P. Anbalagan | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) filed a 10,000 page chargesheet against former AIADMK Minister and sitting MLA of Palacode Assembly constituency K.P. Anbalagalan, and his family, in a disproportionate assets case at the Chief Judicial Magistrate’s court in Dharmapuri, on Monday, May 22, 2023.

The chargesheet was filed in the disproportionate assets case that was initially pegged at ₹11,32,95,755 crore but was later revised to ₹45,20,53,363 crore in the form of movable and immovable assets, during the course of the investigation.

The case was registered under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, and provisions of the Indian Penal Code, in January 2022, was asked to be expedited by court. It is the first case in which a chargesheet has been filed against a former AIADMK minister in the Edappadi K. Palaniswami cabinet since the DMK government led by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin took charge.

According to the DVAC, Mr. Anbalagan, his wife A. Malliga, his sons A. Sasimohan and A. Chandramohan, were investigated in the assets case to the tune of ₹11.32 crore that was disproportionate to their known sources of income. The investigation led to a probe in 58 different places, leading to the discovery of various incriminating documents.

The DVAC said that the probe also led to acquisition of assets worth ₹45.20 crore in the form of “buildings, bank balances, business investments, landed property, machinery, ornaments, and vehicles in the name of the family members,” and that the “ill-gotten money was circulated in a trust named ‘Saraswathi Pachiappan Educational and Charitable Trust.’

This disproportionate acquisition was aided by Mr. Anbalagan’s close relatives P. Ravisankar, P. Saravanan and R. Saravanakumar and close associates C. Manickam, M. Malliga and S.S. Dhanapal, the DVAC alleged. 

According to the DVAC, Mr. Anbalagan, a two-time minister in the AIADMK cabinet, with his last long stint as Tamil Nadu’s Higher Education Minister, “could not account satisfactorily” for his wealth from his known sources of income.

The co-accused and aides include Mr. Anbalagan’s two nephews, son-in law, former town panchayat president of Karimangalam and a school correspondent, along with the Saraswathi Pachiappan Educational and Charitable Trust.