3 months SI in contempt case relating to Sivagiri estate

Initiating suo motu contempt proceedings against N Jagananthan, who claims to be a legal heir of Varaguna Rama Pandiyan Chinna Thambiar and the rightful inheritor of the estate, the court observed that 'a fraud has been played' by the contemnor and his counsel V Chockalingam on the court.

A Division Bench comprising Justices P Jyothimani and M Duraiswamy slapped a fine of Rs 50,000 each on Jaganathan and Chockalingam.

The contempt proceedings were initiated after Jagananathan failed to comply with repeated court orders to surrender the Letters of Administration (LOA) he had obtained in 2004 for the properties falling under the estate.

Following a submission by Chockalingam that Jagannathan was a sick person, the court suspended the sentence for a week but made clear the fine should be paid by the both within a week. Failure would invite a further simple imprisonment of one week, the Bench said.

Justices Jyothimani and Duraiswamy said Jagannathan and Chockalingam had filed a statement stating that LOA had been sent to Credit Suisse Bank, in which hunge amount of funds was claimed to have been deposited by the British before they relinquished power in India.

Pointing out that no court had granted permission to him to send the LOA to the foreign bank, the Bench said there was also no record to show that the two had taken steps to bring the document back to the court.

The Bench directed the state and Central Governments to produce the records including the G.O. Containing the list of properties of the estate.