Madras High Court Refuses To Discharge Former Minister MRK Panneerselvam In Corruption Case

Justice V Lakshminarayanan dismissed the plea. The court had previously dispensed with Panneerselvam and his family's appearance before the Principal District and Sessions Court, Cuddalore.

The case against the former Minister is that he had allegedly accumulated disproportionate wealth while serving as the Minister for Backward Classes and Welfare from 1996 to 2001 and later as the Minister for Health and Family Welfare from 2006 to 2011. In 2016, the Special Judge in Cuddalore had discharged the Minister from the case. However, the State filed a revision against this order.

In April 2025, the High Court set aside the discharge and directed the Special Court to frame charges and proceed with the trial on a day-to-day basis. While setting aside the discharge, the High Court noted that there was prima facie material to proceed against the Minister and his family and that the findings of the trial court were perverse and had to be interfered with.

Following the High Court order, the matter was remanded to the trial court. Panneerselvam had also filed a plea challenging the proceedings under Section 482 CrPC/528 BNSS, alleging that the entire criminal proceedings were an abuse of the process of law. These petitions were later withdrawn by Panneerselvam with liberty to agitate the grounds before the appropriate forum.

The parties later filed a discharge petition before the Special Court (Principal District and Sessions Court, Cuddalore), which was dismissed. The parties then approached the High Court seeking discharge.

Senior Counsel R Shanmugasundaram, appearing for Panneerselvam, argued that there was no valid sanction in the present case. It was argued that when the court took cognisance in 2025, Panneerselvam was a cabinet Minister and thus, a sanction from the Governor had to be obtained, which was not done in the present case.

Countering this argument, Government Advocate Arun Anbumani argued that at the time of registering the FIR and the filing of the chargesheet, Panneerselvam was not even an MLA, and thus no sanction was necessary to prosecute in the present case.

A detailed order copy is awaited.

Counsel for Petitioner: Mr. R. Shanmugasundaram Senior Counsel for Mr. C. Prakasam

Counsel for Respondent: Mr. Arun Anbumani Counsel for Government of Tamil Nadu (Crl. Side), Ms. Poonguzhali Standing Counsel for High Court of Madras

Case Title: MRK Panneerselvam and Others v The Deputy Superintendent of Police

Citation: 2026 LiveLaw (Mad) 455

Case No: CRL RC No 1427 of 2026