In a setback for the DMK government in Tamil Nadu, the Madras High Court sentenced the state’s Minister for Higher Education, K Ponmudy, to three years in jail and imposed a fine of Rs 50 lakh in a disproportionate assets case. The court overturned a previous acquittal by a lower court in 2016.
The case is related to Ponmudy’s tenure as Minister of Mines and Minerals between 2006 and 2011, during which he is accused of violating the Tamil Nadu Minor Mineral Concessions Act and allocating an illegal red sand quarry.
In July, Ponmudy and his son Gautham Sigamani, the MP from Kallakurichi, were questioned by the Enforcement Directorate. The accusations in the disproportionate assets case correspond to his tenure as Minister for Mines and Minerals in the DMK government. Ponmudy, a six-time MLA, represents the Tirukkoyilur constituency in Kallakurichi district and is a key figure in bringing minority votes to the DMK. If the Supreme Court upholds his conviction, Ponmudy will lose his constituency and ministerial position.
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