HC dismisses PIL for SIT to look into cash seizures in TN

The Madras High Court today dismissed a PIL filed by a DMK functionary seeking a special investigation team comprising non-state agencies such as CBI to investigate source of money seized by election officials in assembly poll-bound Tamil Nadu.
A vacation bench, comprising Justices K K Sasidharan and S Vimala, observed that the petitioner being an office-bearer of a political party had come up with the PIL without any valid ground.
Petitioner Arasakalai, referring to seizures of cash in the state ahead of the May 16 assembly elections, alleged that officials involved in the election work were mostly drawn from the state bureaucracy and hence unable to overcome the 'pressure' by the ruling party.

He said only when the Election Commission finds out the real culprits behind the money supply, bribing of voters could be prevented.
He further submitted that he had made a representation to the EC to constitute a SIT but the Commission in its reply said the allegations were baseless and false and the raids were conducted jointly by the District Flying Squad Team and the Income Tax department.
This was false, he contended adding the search was not conducted as mandated by the Standard Operating Procedure prescribed by the EC itself.
Dismissing the PIL, the bench said "It is not the case that the EC has not conducted the investigation in a free and fair manner. The petitioner being an office-bearer of a political party has come up with this writ petition without any valid ground. We do not find any reason to entrust the matter to SIT at this point of time," it said.