The Madras High Court on Tuesday ordered that the petitions filed by former Municipal Administration Minister S.P. Velumani of the AIADMK to quash two First Information Reports, booked against him on corruption charges, would be heard by a Division Bench holding the portfolio of cases against legislators and not by the first Division Bench which generally hears public interest litigation petitions.
Acting Chief Justice M. Duraiswamy and Justice Sunder Mohan passed the order after Advocate-General R. Shunmugasundaram and State Public Prosecutor Hasan Mohammed Jinnah said the quash petitions should actually be listed before a single judge. However, senior counsel S.V. Raju and advocate Iyapparaj, representing the former Minister, objected to such a plea and insisted on retaining the case before the first Division Bench.
After hearing them out, the first Bench, led by the Acting Chief Justice, directed the Registry to list the case before the Division Bench of Justices P.N. Prakash and R.M.T. Teekaa Raman since they were now holding the portfolio of hearing cases against legislators. After ascertaining from the A-G as to whether the former Minister was a sitting Member of the Assembly, the Acting Chief Justice said it would be appropriate for the matter to be heard by the portfolio Bench.
