RPO gives clean chit to TN fisheries minister

Chennai:

The region passport officer has given a clean chit to Tamil Nadu Fisheries Minister A Jayapal stating he has not suppressed any material information relating to any case in the passport application for obtaining passport as there has been no proceedings against him in respect of any offence pending before a criminal court.

Regional Passport Officer C Senthil Pandian submitted before the first bench comprising of acting chief justice Satish K Agnihotri and Justice M M Sundaresh that the minister was implicated in a criminal case but there has been no charges till date neither any arrest warrant or summons pending against him.

In a counter affidavit filed against a petition directing the regional passport officer to initiate legal action against the state fisheries minister for the act of suppression of facts and obtaining passport by furnishing false certificate and false address, Pandian said that the petitioner after a showcause notice issued to him has stated that he has been implicated in a criminal case on the file of Nagapattinam Town Police Station and reported there has been no charges framed against him till date.

A petition has alleged that the minister is facing criminal case under section 147, 148, 342, 323, 324 and 307 of Indian Penal code along with section 3 (1) of the Tamil Nadu Public Property (Prevention of Damages and Loss) Act, 1992, which is pending before judicial magistrate, Nagapattinam.

Pandian said that on the basis of complaint from one G Kaliyamurthy, he issued a showcause notice to the minister seeking explanation as to why for having suppressed material information in the relevant column in his passport application, the passport issued to him should not be impounded. “He was given 15 days time from the date of issuance of the aforesaid showcause notice, failing which he was informed necessary action will be taken to impound the passport issued to him,” Pandian, who was represented by his counsel Haja Mohideen Gisthi, said.

Pandian said the minister stated that there is no arrest warrant or summons pending against him before any court of law in India. He also said that Jayapal has submitted that he has not suppressed any material information relating to any case in the passport application for obtaining passport as there has been no proceedings against him in respect of any offence pending before a criminal court of India.

The judges adjourned the hearing for one week.