Tamil Nadu minister to Governor: Fast-track Bills to prosecute ex-ministers in graft cases

Tamil Nadu Law Minister S Regupathy urged Governor R N Ravi to swiftly approve 13 pending Bills and give the green light to the prosecution of former AIADMK ministers entangled in corruption allegations.

In his comprehensive letter amid controversies surrounding the arrest of a DMK minister by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) over a job scam, Regupathy pointedly referenced the 13 Bills and the files to prosecute former AIADMK ministers waiting for the Governor’s approval.

Reminding that all these Bills were passed by the Legislative Assembly, the letter noted that a couple of Bills have been lying dormant for over three years. Drawing from a recent Supreme Court observation, Regupathy stressed that Governors ought to promptly reject or send back Bills if they fail to find agreement, rather than letting them remain unattended indefinitely. The letter mentioned the corruption charges hanging over former Health Minister C Vijaya Baskar and former Commercial Taxes Minister B V Ramana for their alleged involvement in the Gutkha scam.