HC orders action against councillor for mis-declaration of

The Madras High Court today directed the Tamil Nadu State Election Commission to take action against a city corporation councillor for declaring in his electoral affidavit that he does not have any property though he and his family owned 12 immovable assets.
The First Bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice M Sundar rejected councillor Annamalai's explanation in his counter affidavit that it was a 'human error' on his part to have declared nil immovable assets.
Passing orders on a petition by Pon Thangavelu, a voter of the ward represented by Annamalai, the bench held it was a clear case of 'mis-declaration' of assets and directed the authorities to examine consequences and action to be taken.

In his assets declaration filed with nomination form in the 2011 local body elections, Annamalai had stated "NIL" in the column against ownership of immovable properties.
The bench in its order also directed the Director General of Income Tax (Investigation) TN and Puducherry to check whether the councillor has forgotten to declare his assets only in the nomination or such a forgotten attitude had extended even to the tax returns.
Earlier, the city corporation in its counter affidavit stated that the councillor had encroached government poramboke land in respect of five of his properties.
It was further stated that he had also carried out unauthorised constructions for which action had been initiated.

The bench said wherever unauthorised constructions had to be removed or cleared, the police will render assistance and posted the matter for further hearing to March 2.