Fifth ADMK minister convicted for graft

CHENNAI, MARCH 16: Former Tamil Nadu Minister E Madhusudanan became the fifth AIADMK minister to be convicted by the special courts, set u...

CHENNAI, MARCH 16: Former Tamil Nadu Minister E Madhusudanan became the fifth AIADMK minister to be convicted by the special courts, set up to try cases of corruption against the Jayalalitha government between 1991 and 1996, when he was found guilty in the `dhoti and saree scam’ and sentenced to two years rigorous imprisonment by a special judge today.

Apart from Madhusudanan, others convicted by special judge S Sambandam in the Rs 61.59 crore scam were former Managing Director of Tamil Nadu textile Corporation Narasimmalu, two industrialists, Aravinthkumar Sha and R Selvaraj and a company manager Muthusamy.

The judge, however, suspended implementation of the sentences against Madhusudanan, who was State Handloom minister, Narasammalu and Muthusamy till April 10 to enable them to challenge their convictions in a higher court.

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Sha and Selvaraj, who were awarded four years’ RI each and fined Rs 1.20 lakh each, were taken away to the central prison here.

Former Chief Minister Jayalalitha and her ministerial colleague T M Selvaganapathy were convicted jointly in the `Pleasant Stay Hotel’ case, while former Tamil Nadu Speaker and former Union Minister Sedapatti R Muthiah and former minister Nagoor Meeran were convicted in `wealth’ cases by the three special courts set up by the present DMK regime in 1997 to try corruption offences during 1991-96.