CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has directed the Additional Chief Secretary for Industries Department S Krishnan to take appropriate action on a request by Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) to prosecute officials of Mines Department, in connection with alleged illegal mining of gravel in a Theni village.
Justice V Bharathidasan issued the orders on a petition filed by P Gnanarajan of Theni district. "The Additional Chief Secretary of Industries Department is directed to consider the request made by the respondent (DVAC) seeking previous approval for proceeding against the officials belonging to the Department of Mining and pass orders in accordance with the law. The exercise shall be completed on or before February 3, 2022," the judge ordered on Wednesday.
The order came after Inspector C Jeyapriaya of DVAC, Theni, submitted that the district collector had granted nod for prosecuting revenue department officials whereas approval was not received so far from the Industries Department.
Prior approval has to be obtained under section 17A (1) of Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 for proceeding against the officials. The judge posted the matter for February 4 for further hearing.
It may be noted that the petitioner had said the DVAC was not taking any action on his complaint despite submitting evidences running to 217 pages when the matter was taken up by the court on November 15, 2021. The petitioner, Gnanarajan, had alleged that gravel worth Rs 500 crore was illegally mined at Vadavaeeranaickenpatti in Theni district at the behest of former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam.
Habeas Corpus plea in marital dispute: Rs 25,000 cost imposed
MADURAI: In yet another attempt to curb the practice of filing Habeas Corpus petitions over marital disputes, the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court imposed Rs 25,000 cost on a woman for filing a Habeas Corpus plea fraudulently claiming that her husband was missing.
A Bench of Justices S Vaidyanathan and G Jayachandran passed the order recently in a petition filed by a woman from Tirunelveli. The woman had alleged that her husband might be under the illegal custody of his father. However, her husband appeared before the court and clarified that he left his wife voluntarily