The Madras High Court on Friday decided not to hear petitions filed by former Municipal Administration Minister S.P. Velumani, seeking a stay of the investigation in two corruption cases, since the Supreme Court was seized of appeals preferred by the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti Corruption (DVAC) against the previous interim orders.
Chief Justice Munishwar Nath Bhandari and Justice N. Mala adjourned the petitions to stay as well as quash the First Information Report (FIR) to September 19, after Advocate General R. Shunmugasundaram told the court that the Supreme Court had decided to hear the appeals preferred by the DVAC on September 14 after issuing notice to the other side.
The appeals had been preferred against an order passed by the High Court on August 11, permitting the investigating agency to continue the probe but not file a final report, and also another order passed on Wednesday, refusing to restrain senior counsel S.V. Raju, who is also an Additional Solicitor General, from appearing on behalf of the former Minister.
Though Mr. Raju told the High Court that the Supreme Court had refused to restrain the former from hearing the matters, and that the appeals had been simply adjourned to September 14, the A-G said it might not be right on the part of the High Court to hear the petitions for a stay and the quashing of FIR when the apex court was seized of the appeals preferred by the DVAC.
Accepting the A-G’s submission, the Chief Justice’s Bench adjourned the petitions before it to September 19, and said the interim order restraining the DVAC from filing the final report shall stand extended.
