'Don’t further delay sanction to prosecute ex-AIADMK ministers', TN govt tells Governor Ravi

Amid a tug of war, the Tamil Nadu Government on Wednesday accused Governor R N Ravi of “sitting on files” for over nine months seeking sanction for prosecuting four former AIADMK ministers in cases relating to gutkha scam and disproportionate assets, and demanded his immediate nod for the same.

Law Minister S Regupathy, in a letter to the Governor, also drew his attention to 13 bills passed by the Assembly pending before him for the past several months.

The letter from the state government comes days after Chief Minister M K Stalin accused the governor of being “biased” when it comes to granting sanction for prosecuting former AIADMK ministers, while “dismissing” Minister V Senthil Balaji after his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case.

Officials said the government wrote a letter to the Governor on September 12, 2022, seeking sanction to prosecute C Vijayabaskar, B V Ramana, K C Veeramani, and M R Vijayabaskar — all ministers in the then J Jayalalithaa and Edappadi K Palaniswami cabinets. While Vijayabaskar and Ramana have been named in the gutkha scam, the DA cases against Veeramani and Vijayabhaskar were filed by the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption.

Read | 'You have no power to dismiss my ministers', Tamil Nadu CM Stalin says in letter to Governor R N Ravi

The letter seeking permission to prosecute Vijayabaskar and Ramana was sent to the Governor’s office on September 12, 2022. “Unfortunately, there is no reply from the Governor’s office to the letter till now. It has also been conveyed to the Governor that his inordinate delay in granting prosecution is delaying the proceedings in the case relating to gutkha scam,” another official said.

Gutkha scam relates to ministers and officials allegedly receiving bribes from companies selling gutkha and other tobacco related stuff to allow their sale in Tamil Nadu despite a ban enforced by the state government.

Regupathy also said the governor is delaying sanction for prosecuting Veeramani and Vijayabhaskar despite the state cabinet passing a resolution and the government sending a letter on September 9, 2022, and March 15, 2023.

“These are pending before the Governor for a long time. The minister stressed in the letter that prosecution has not been granted to prosecute any former AIADMK minister. Delay in permission for prosecution means the proceedings in the case cannot begin,” the government said in a statement.