Chennai High Court quashes ED money laundering case against Minister I. Periyasamy
Tamil Nadu: The Chennai High Court on Tuesday ordered the dismissal of the money laundering case filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) against Tamil Nadu Minister I. Periyasamy. The case was registered under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
I. Periyasamy served as Housing Minister in the DMK government between 2006 and 2011. During that period, the state government allotted freehold homes to several individuals. Later, in 2011, during the AIADMK government’s tenure, the allocation process was questioned, alleging widespread irregularities, and criminal cases were filed against several individuals.
On this basis, in 2020, the Enforcement Directorate filed a case against seven individuals, including I. Periyasamy, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. Subsequently, Minister Periyasamy filed a petition in the Chennai High Court seeking the dismissal of the case.
The case was heard on Tuesday by Chief Justice S.A. The case was heard before a bench of Justices A. Dharmadhikari and G. Arulmurugan. During the hearing, senior advocate Muthu Ganesh Pandian, representing the petitioner, argued that several Supreme Court and High Court judgments clearly state that allotment of houses as part of a government policy decision does not constitute criminal conspiracy or financial loss.
He also argued that since the original case filed by the Anti-Corruption Bureau had already been dismissed, the money laundering case filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) cannot stand on the same grounds. There is no solid criminal basis in either case.
After examining all the arguments and records, the court accepted the petition and ordered the dismissal of the case filed by the Enforcement Directorate. This decision brought a major relief to Minister I. Periyasamy.
This decision is considered politically and legally significant, as the matter had been under investigation for a long time and allegations had been made at various levels. With the court’s order, all legal aspects of the case have now been concluded.
