2-Year Ri For Former Admk Minister

Yet Another former AIADMK Minister E Madhusoodhanan was convicted to two years of rigorous imprisonment (RI) for corruption by a special court here on Thursday.

Mr Madhusoodhanan is the fourth AIADMK leader to be convicted for corruption after AIADMK leader Jayalalitha, former Assembly Speaker R Muthiah and former Minister Nagore Meeran.

Special judge S Sambandam, who also slapped a Rs 20,000 fine on the former Minister, found him guilty of corruption on four counts in the Rs 62 crores textile scam. While on three counts he was sentenced to one year RI, on the fourth count he got two years of RI with all the sentences to run concurrently. The 2-year RI would disqualify the former Minister from contesting elections even though the court suspended its verdict to enable him to go on appeal.

The prosecution had charged that as Textiles and Handlooms Minister in the Jayalalitha Government, Mr Madhusoodhanan had favoured select textile suppliers by ordering clothes from them for the free dhoti and saree scheme.

The suppliers had supplied inferior materials after charging exorbitant rates, causing loss to the exchequer. Seven persons, including the then Managing Director of Tamil Nadu Textiles Corporation Naras imhulu had been prosceuted.

The judge also sentenced the bureaucrat to two years RI and a fine of Rs 20,000, while two businessman, who were involved in the deal, were sentenced to four years RI and asked to pay a fine of Rs 1.20 lakhs.

Another textile supplier Muthuswamy also got a term of 2-year RI and fine of Rs 20,000.