SC notice to TN on former min's conviction in DA case

The Supreme Court on Thursday issued a notice to the Tamil Nadu police on a plea by former AIADMK minister V Sathyamoorthy, challenging his conviction and five-year sentence in a disproportionate assets case.

A vacation bench of Justices S Abdul Nazeer and Indu Malhotra sought a response from the state government's Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) also on a separate petition filed by Sathyamoorthy's wife V Chandra, against the Madras High Court's order, holding her guilty and awarding two-year jail term to her.

Senior advocate Guru Krishna Kumar, representing the couple, submitted that the petitioners were senior citizens and ill. Chandra is hospitalised, he said.

The court issued a notice to the DVAC, returnable within four weeks.

Sathyamoorthy, 73, and his wife Chandra, 62, were convicted and sentenced to five and two years of jail term respectively and imposed Rs 5 lakh each for having amassed wealth to the tune of Rs 83.32 lakh between January 1, 1992, and May 13, 1996.

He was an MLA between June 17, 1991, and May 13, 1996, and served as Minister for Commercial Tax between May 17, 1993, and May 13, 1996, in the AIADMK government led by J Jayalalithaa.

On an appeal by the state government, the Madras High Court had on June 6 reversed the acquittal of the couple and others by the trial court on August 18, 2000, in the case registered under various provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act and other offences under the IPC.