In a landmark ruling, a Special Court in Tiruchi, Tamil Nadu, ordered the freezing of ill-gotten assets worth Rs. 100 crore belonging to a retired sub-registrar and his wife. The case, which dates back to 2001, saw 79-year-old V. Janakiraman and his 65-year-old wife J Vasanthi convicted and sentenced to five years of rigorous imprisonment each.
Judge R Karthikeyan of the special court for cases under the Prevention of Corruption Act imposed a fine of Rs. 10,000 on each of the accused and directed the confiscation of properties amassed through unlawful means, handing them over to the government.
According to a DVAC (Trichy detachment) release Janakiraman, hailing from Pillathurai village in Musiri taluk in Tiruchi district, had served as sub-registrar during 1989-1993 at Thuraiyur, Woraiyur, Musiri, Vilpatti, and Kodaikanal has committed criminal misconduct by acquiring pecuniary resources movable and immovable assets in his name and his wife’s name between 1989 and 1991. During this period, he allegedly engaged in criminal misconduct by acquiring movable and immovable assets beyond his known sources of income, in collusion with his wife, J. Vasanthi, aged 65.
It has been said that “ during his tenure, he unlawfully amassed properties in his name and in the name of his wife. The worth of the properties amassed then was Rs. 32.25 lakh. However, DVAC stated that the market value of their assets in Vilpatti and Kodaikanal are estimated to be 100 crore now”. The former DSP of DVAC R Ambikapathy registered a disproportionate assets case in August 2001 against them under Prevention of Corruption Act and the IPC . Chargesheet was filed on October 3,2007 . DVAC inspector F Xavier Rani pursued the case. The case was transferred from Chief Judicial Magistrate court in Trichy to the special court in 2011.
The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) initiated the case against Janakiraman and Vasanthi in 2001, following suspicions of disproportionate assets. It was alleged that the couple unlawfully amassed properties in their names between 1989 and 1991, with the market value of their assets estimated to be Rs. 100 crore today.
Former Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) of DVAC, R. Ambikapathy, registered the Disproportionate Assets case in August 2001 under the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The chargesheet was filed on October 3, 2007, following a thorough investigation led by DVAC inspector F. Xavier Rani.
After years of investigation and legal proceedings, the case was transferred to the Special Court in 2011. Following the examination of witnesses, the court handed down the sentence, finding the couple guilty of amassing assets 98 per cent higher than their known sources of income.
