HC asks police to submit status report on probe against TN minister

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has directed the police to submit a status report on the probe into a case filed against Tamil Nadu minister R Kamaraj and an official in the secretariat for allegedly cheating a real estate businessman of Rs 45 lakh.

Justice M S Ramesh gave the direction recently to the inspector of the Mannargudi police station, on a petition filed by the businessman, S V S Kumar, seeking to transfer the probe against Food Minister Kamaraj and the official either to the CB-CID or CBI.

The judge has also directed Kumar to appear before the Mannargudi police on October 23.

Kumar, in his petition, alleged that Kamaraj had promised to evict an occupant from his property and taken a bribe of Rs 45 lakh from him through Ramakrishnan, the official in the secretariat, in 2011 for the same.

After becoming a minister, he neither got the job done nor did he return the money, the petitioner alleged.

He also alleged that he was being threatened by some unidentified persons.

Kumar had submitted before the court that though the Mannargudi police had lodged a case against the minister and the official on the basis of his complaint on May 5, no further action had been taken by them.

Hence, he had prayed that the case be transferred to the CB-CID or CBI.