Chennai, August 20: Madras High Court today dismissed a petition seeking a CBI probe into alleged accumulation of unaccounted wealth by Tamil Nadu Congress Committee chief K V Thankgabalu, holding that it was politically motivated.
‘The manner in which the petitioner followed his grievance showed he was motivated by political consideration’, a bench comprising Chief Justice H L Gokhale and Justice D Murugasen said.
The Judges pointed out that the petitioner, an advocate V K Palanivelu, had first filed a complaint with the CBI levelling the charges against Thankgabalu before the 2004 general elections but did not follow it up for five years. The Bench noted that the advocate had sought to disqualify Thankgabalu from contesting the elections.
The Bench said in February this year the petitioner had sought information from CBI under the Right To Information Act as to whether the agency had power to disqualify a candidate.
He had also sought to know the status of his 2004 complaint.
‘From the tenor of his first complaint as well as query raised under RTI Act it is clear the petitioner’s intention was to prevent Thankgabalu from contesting’, the Bench said.
The Judges said even if the advocate’s intention was to have Thankgabalu booked under the Prevention of Corruption Act, he had not followed remedy otherwise available to him.
The advocate had given a second representation to the CBI in March last and without waiting for its response filed the petition, the court said noting that no ground had been made out.
—Agencies