The Madras High Court dismissed the revision petition against the acquittal of Geetha Jeevan.
Tamil Nadu: The Chennai High Court has dismissed a revision petition filed against the acquittal of former Minister Geetha Jeevan and her family in a disproportionate assets case. Citing an 839-day delay in filing the petition, the court refused to entertain it and closed the matter.
The case relates to the tenure of the DMK government in Tamil Nadu between 1996 and 2001. At that time, N. Periyasamy—the DMK Secretary for Thoothukudi district and a former MLA—faced allegations of amassing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income. Investigations led to a case being registered against him for allegedly acquiring illegal assets worth approximately ₹2.31 crore.
Alongside N. Periyasamy, others named as accused in the case included his wife Ebenesarammal, sons Raja and Jagan, daughter and former Minister Geetha Jeevan, and her husband Jacob Rajendran. All the accused faced charges of amassing disproportionate assets, and the case underwent a detailed investigation.
N. Periyasamy passed away in May 2017 during the course of the proceedings. Legal proceedings continued against the remaining accused. The case was heard in the Thoothukudi court, which acquitted all the accused in 2022 due to a lack of evidence, stating that the charges had not been proven.
Shanmugasundaram, a voter from Thoothukudi, filed a revision petition in the Madras High Court challenging this acquittal. The petition sought the admission and listing for hearing of the challenge against the acquittal of Geetha Jeevan and her family. The petitioner also urged the court to review the matter afresh.
The court took strong exception to the fact that the petition was filed with a delay of 839 days. The matter was heard on Thursday before Justice G.K. Ilanthiraiyan. During the hearing, the court deemed the reasons for the delay insufficient and clarified that such a prolonged delay could not be condoned.
In its order, the court stated that it would not be appropriate to entertain a petition filed after such a long lapse of time, in accordance with due procedure. On these grounds, the court dismissed the review petition and closed the matter.
This verdict brings legal relief to former Minister Geetha Jeevan and her family, as the possibility of a rehearing in the case has now been eliminated. The court’s decision marks the conclusion of a long-drawn-out legal process.
According to officials and legal experts associated with the case, this ruling sets a significant precedent regarding adherence to procedural norms and timelines. The court emphasized that delays in the judicial process cannot be accepted without valid and substantial reasons.
The entire episode had also sparked considerable discussion in Tamil Nadu politics, given the involvement of a former minister and her family. However, with the court’s final verdict, the matter has now reached its legal conclusion.
