Justice Anand Venkatesh of Madras High Court to go to Madurai, Justice Jayachandran allotted MP/MLA portfolio

The suo motu revision petitions taken up since August 10 against the discharge of sitting as well as former Ministers will now be heard by Justice Jayachandran since Justice Venkatesh is going to Madurai Bench for next three months

Justices G. Jayachandran (left) and N. Anand Venkatesh (right) of the Madras High Court | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Justice N. Anand Venkatesh of the Madras High Court will not continue to hear the suo motu revision petitions taken up by the court against the discharge/acquittal of six sitting as well as former Ministers of Tamil Nadu, from disproportionate assets as well as other criminal cases, since he is slated to sit in the Madurai Bench of the High Court during the next roster.

According to the new roster decided by Chief Justice S.V. Gangapurwala, Justice G. Jayachandran had been given the portfolio of hearing cases agaisnt Members of Parliament and Members of the Legislative Assembly for the next three months and hence the suo motu revision petitions would also get listed in October and November before the new roster judge.

Justice Venkatesh is among the 11 judges chosen from the principal seat of the High Court in Chennai to hold sitting in the Madurai Bench from October 3, 2023 to December 22, 2023. Therefore, he would not be able to continue the hearing of the six suo motu revision petitions taken up since August 10.

It is a regular feature for the Madras High Court to keep changing the allocation of portfolio to its judges once in three months and the Chief Justice, being the master of the roster, takes a call on such allocation.

Holding the portfolio of MP/MLA cases since July this year, Justice Venkatesh had taken up as many as six suo motu revisions against the discharge/acquittal of legislators by the trial courts.

Those who were subjected to the suo motu revision so far included Tamil Nadu Higher Education Minister K. Ponmudy, Revenue Minister K.K.S.S.R. Ramachandran, Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu, former Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam, Rural Development Minister I. Periyasamy and former Social Welfare Minister B. Valarmathi.

When Mr. Ponmudy sought the recusal of the judge, on the ground of bias, from further hearings of the suo motu revision taken up against him, Justice Venkatesh refused to recuse but adjourned the further hearing to October 9, 2023 after observing that the next roster for High Court judges would come into effect by the first week of October.