HC dismisses plea against chief minister Vijay

Chennai: Madras high court on Tuesday dismissed as withdrawn a plea seeking registration of cheating and money-laundering cases against chief minister C Joseph Vijay for his alleged suppression of financial transactions and receipt of unaccounted cash as renumeration.

The first bench of Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G Arul Murugan passed the order on Tuesday, on a plea moved by M Rajkumar, a resident of Kodungaiyur. On Tuesday, when the plea came up for hearing, counsel for the petitioner requested the court to permit him to withdraw the plea.

Allowing his request, the court dismissed the petition as withdrawn. Rajkumar, wanted the court to direct the income tax department to examine the materials and findings recorded in the search proceedings conducted at Vijay’s residence on Sept 30, 2015, and the sworn statement recorded, the assessment proceedings, and the Rs 1.5 crore penalty order passed and initiate appropriate prosecution proceedings under the relevant provisions of the Income Tax Act.

He further wanted the court to direct the law enforcement authorities to register an FIR and conduct an investigation into the commission of cognizable offences under Sections 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery), 470, 471 and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of IPC, in relation to the suppression of income, receipt of unaccounted cash remuneration and concealment of financial transactions disclosed in the course of the search.