The Madras High Court on Thursday directed the Directorate of Vigilance of Anti Corruption (DVAC) to complete within two months its preliminary inquiry on a disproportionate assets complaint lodged against former AIADMK MLA B. Sathyanarayanan and register a First Information Report (FIR) if a cognisable offence was made out.
Justice N. Anand Venkatesh issued the direction on a petition moved by the complainant B.R. Aravindakshan who complained that the DVAC had not registered a case so far on the complaint lodged on November 22, 2021 along with documents to prove that the former MLA, representing T. Nagar constituency, had amassed wealth.
The judge made it clear that if the preliminary inquiry results in a negative report not necessitating registration of an FIR against the former MLA and his family members, then it should be intimated to the complainant so that he could pursue his remedy before a jurisdictional Magistrate under Section 156(3) of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
Earlier, the petitioner’s counsel P.T. Perumal told the court that Mr. Sathyanarayanan had served as a councillor of Greater Chennai Corporation between 2011 and 2016 and then as a Member of the Legislative Assembly from 2016 to 2021. He lost the election from T. Nagar Assembly constituency to DMK candidate J. Karunanithi in 2021.
While filing his nominations in 2021, he had declared assets worth ₹2 crore in his name, ₹47.57 lakh in his wife’s name and ₹30.06 lakh in his dependant daughter’s name. Totally, his family declared to have earned ₹2.78 crore between the financial year 2015-16 and 2019-20 and also provided year wise breakup of the revenue received by the three family members.
However, the present petitioner, had collected enormous materials through the Right to Information (RTI) Act of 2005 and even otherwise to prove that Mr. Sathyanarayanan had acquired assets to the tune of ₹13.02 crore during his five year tenure as a MLA, the counsel said and insisted that the DVAC should necessarily examine those materials.
He told the court that there were materials to prove that the former MLA had purchased 33 immovable properties worth ₹11.72 crore in various places apart from having purchased a luxury Jaguar car worth ₹44.38 lakh in his name, a Toyota Fortuner worth ₹21.64 lakh in his wife’s name and a Mercedes Benz worth ₹60.58 lakh in his daughter’s name.
These were in addition to other motor vehicles worth a few lakh rupees, the counsel said and insisted on early registration of a FIR against the former MLA and his family members.
