Madras HC dismisses Stalin’s petition seeking CBI and DRI probe into MLA for sale controversy

The petition was dismissed after DRI filed a counter petition.
Madras HC dismisses Stalin’s petition seeking CBI and DRI probe into MLA for sale controversy
Madras HC dismisses Stalin’s petition seeking CBI and DRI probe into MLA for sale controversy
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In a setback for DMK working president MK Stalin, the Madras High Court on Thursday, dismissed the petition filed by him seeking a probe by the CBI and the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) into alleged payoffs to some ruling AIADMK MLAs ahead of the trust vote by the K Palaniswami government last February.

The petition was dismissed after DRI filed a counter petition saying they can only investigate if smuggling of gold was involved. 

After the AIADMK faction led by E Palaniswami won the trust vote in the Tamil Nadu assembly on February 17, opposition party DMK alleged that the trust vote was rigged. The DMK president had moved the High Court seeking a fresh trust vote. 

A sting operation conducted by Moon TV and Times Now showed Madurai South MLA SS Saravanan, who had defected from the Sasikala to the O Panneerselvam faction, admitting that both camps offered legislators money in exchange for support during the February 18 trust vote.

In his affidavit, Stalin argued that the revelations of MLAs SS Saravanan and Kanagaraj goes on to prove that the Vote of Confidence was vitiated by inducements and bribery of AIADMK MLAs. The affidavit stated that the giving and offering of bribes constituted offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act, the Income Tax Act and the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, and that the CBI and the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence are the competent authorities to investigate these offences. The petition therefore sought that the two agencies be impleaded into the case.

Following DMK’s demand that a discussion be held on the sting operation conducted on the first day of the Tamil Nadu Assembly session on June 14, Stalin was evicted from the House by the speaker.  

"It has become clear that there was horse trading ahead of the trust vote held in Assembly," Stalin had said outside the assembly. "The matter has always been sub-judice. We filed a case in the matter months back and now only requested that it be brought up for hearing sooner in light of a sting by a TV channel. But the government does not want us to raise question and we were thus evicted," he had said.

The DMK has staged several walk outs from the Assembly demanding attention in the Assembly on the bribe video scam. 

On June 15 DMK and its ally Congress staged a walkout from the Assembly after the speaker disallowed a discussion on the issue of alleged horse-trading of AIADMK MLAs. 

 

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