rediff.com: Jaya's minister Sengottaiyan gets 4 years' RI

Former AIADMK minister K A Sengottaiyan was found guilty in the Rs 26 million spare parts purchase scam case on Friday and convicted to 4 years RI and a fine of Rs 105,000 by a special judge in Madras.

The then managing director of Jeeva Transport Corporation, Veerappan, and a supplier, Natarajan, were also found guilty and were sentenced to 4 years RI and asked to pay a fine of Rs 100,000 and Rs 92,000 respectively.

Special Judge A C Arumughaperumal Adityan, in his judgment, said the CB-CID had proved the case against the three beyond all reasonable doubt.

Sengottaiyan is the fifth minister in the erstwhile AIADMK government to be convicted by the special courts set up by the DMK government to try cases of corruption during the chief ministership of Jayalalitha between 1991 to 1996.

Besides the ministers, some IAS officers, state government officials and others have also been found guilty and convicted in the eight cases so far decided by the special courts.

Sengottaiyan and two others had been found guilty under various sections of the IPC and Prevention of Corruption Act.

The CB-CID had charged them with entering into a criminal conspiracy and committing criminal breach of trust of Jeeva Transport Corporation funds in the purchase of bus body kits, seat assemblies, spare parts and in the printing of passenger fare tickets.

The chargesheet in the case was filed before the judicial magistrate, Erode on December 13, 1996 and the case was transferred to the special courts on July 7, 1997 and the trial commenced on December 23, 1997.

A total of 98 prosecution witnesses and nine defence witnesses were examined during the course of the trial. The sentence effectively barred the transport minister in the Jayalalitha cabinet, Sengottaiyan, from contesting the Lok Sabha and assembly elections for six years under the Representation of People's Act.

Jayalalitha herself was convicted in the 'Pleasant Stay Hotel' case and sentenced to one year RI.

However, she was acquitted in the Rs 101.6 million 'colour television' scam case while her colleague T M Selvaganapathy was sentenced to one year RI in the 'Pleasant Stay Hotel' case and five years RI in the television scam case.

Madhusudanan, another ministerial colleague of Jayalalitha, was given two years RI in the 'free dhoti and sari' scam case, while his another colleague, Nagoor Meeran, was sentenced to one year RI in a wealth case.

Former Tamil Nadu assembly speaker and former Union minister Sedapatti R Muthiah, was found guilty in a wealth case and was given 25 months RI.


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