Madras High Court upholds conviction of ex-DMK minister's kin in assets case
The Madras High Court on Monday (August 17, 2026) confirmed the conviction and three-year rigorous imprisonment imposed by a trial court on four family members of the late former DMK minister 'Pulavar' B.M. Senguttuvan in a disproportionate assets case. The convicts are his sons S. Panneerselvam (60) and S. Sakthivel (58), daughter R. Meenakshi (52), and niece P. Valli (49).
Justice G.K. Ilanthiraiyan dismissed a criminal appeal filed by the four convicts in 2023, challenging the verdict of the Tiruchirapalli Principal District and Sessions Court dated October 4, 2023. The appeals were initially filed in the Madurai Bench of the High Court but were transferred to the principal seat in Chennai, as the case involved a former legislator.
Senguttuvan had served as Minister for Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments and Animal Husbandry in the cabinet of former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi between 1996 and 2001. He later switched allegiance to the AIADMK in 2013 and returned to the DMK in February 2021. He died at the age of 79 on July 2, 2021, leaving behind his wife, two sons, and a daughter.
The case dates back to 2003, when the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) registered a case against Senguttuvan, his two sons, daughter, son-in-law C. Rajalingam (since deceased), and his brother's daughter. They were accused of amassing wealth disproportionate to their known sources of income between 1996 and 2001.
According to the prosecution, the former minister's assets were valued at ₹3.63 lakh on May 13, 1996, the start of the check period. During his tenure as minister, he allegedly acquired lands, buildings, trucks, cars, and two-wheelers in his name and in the names of family members. By the end of the check period on May 14, 2001, the total value of the properties had risen to ₹1.01 crore.
The prosecuting agency said the accused could account for an income of ₹49.81 lakh, expenditure of ₹33.57 lakh, and savings of ₹16.24 lakh during the check period. They were unable to explain the source of ₹81.42 lakh, leading to charges under provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, and the Indian Penal Code.
The case against Senguttuvan and his son-in-law abated after they died before the trial concluded in 2023. The trial court convicted the remaining four accused, who then filed the joint criminal appeal before the High Court.
Justice Ilanthiraiyan, in his judgment, found no merit in the appeal and upheld the trial court's decision. The order reinforces the legal principle that public servants and their kin cannot hold assets disproportionate to known income, and that corruption cases must be pursued even after the primary accused passes away.
