A day after Tamil Nadu Law Minister S. Regupathy wrote to Governor R.N. Ravi seeking his sanction to prosecute certain former AIADMK Ministers who are facing corruption charges, the Raj Bhavan on Thursday, July 6, 2023, said the DMK government’s request for the Governor’s sanction to prosecute former AIADMK Ministers C. Vijayabaskar and B.V. Ramanaa in the gutkha case, investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), is under “legal examination.”
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However, it claimed that the case against former Minister K.C. Veeramani “could not be acted upon due to the fact that the State government has to submit a duly authenticated copy of the investigation report for further action”.
The Raj Bhavan also maintained that it had received “no reference or request in respect of former Minister M.R. Vijaya Bhaskar from the State government”.
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Later in the day, Law Minister S. Regupathy, who had sought Governor R.N. Ravi’s sanction to prosecute the former Ministers, strongly refuted the Raj Bhavan’s claims.
As the CBI had sought consent soon for prosecuting Mr. Vijayabaskar and Mr. Ramanaa in the guktha case, Mr. Regupathy wrote yet another letter to the Governor seeking his sanction.
In a statement, Mr. Regupathy said a communication from the CBI in this regard was received by the Tamil Nadu government on June 30, and the same had been mentioned in the letter sent to the Governor on Thursday evening.
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Mr. Regupathy said all the files relating to Mr. Veeramani were sent on September 12, 2022. They included the final report of the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) and the recommendations of the Vigilance Commission. “It is not appropriate for the office of the Governor to claim non-receipt of the files after receiving them 289 days ago and acknowledging their receipt,” he said.
Mr. Regupathy also refuted the Raj Bhavan’s claim that it had not received any reference or request in respect of Mr. Vijaya Bhaskar from the State government, and said the final report of the DVAC and the recommendations of the Vigilance Commission were sent to the Governor on May 15. “The Raj Bhavan has acknowledged receipt as well,” the Minister said.
Mr. Regupathy expressed surprise at the claim of the Raj Bhavan that it had not received any request even 53 days after the request was sent as per official procedure. “It is clear that the Governor, instead of discharging his constitutional duties, is merely doing his political party’s work, and that has led to the claim of non-receipt of files,” he said.
The Minister wondered whether the Raj Bhavan was under the control of the Governor.
The Governor, who had insisted on arrested DMK Minister V. Senthilbalaji’s dismissal from the Cabinet, was yet to give his sanction for the prosecution of former AIADMK Ministers on corruption charges, he noted.