Chennai, March 18 (IANS) Tamil Nadu Rural Development Minister and senior DMK leader, I. Periyaswamy has got relief from a court in a case related to the alleged illegal allotment of Housing Board plots under the Mogappair Eri scheme.

The Additional Special court for trial cases against MPs/ MLAs of Tamil Nadu acquitted Periyaswamy from the case booked against him. He was accused of allotting a high-income group plot to Ganeshan, the Personal Security Officer of then Chief Minister, M. Karunanidhi, an official said on Saturday.

It was alleged that Periyaswamy misused his powers and issued a high-income plot under the government's discretionary quota.

When the AIADMK -- which had assumed office in 2012 after the DMK government lost in the elections, a case was registered by the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) against I. Periyaswamy and Ganeshan.

The Madras High Court had in 2022 refused to discharge the then minister and the PSO of the then Chief Minister.

I. Periyaswamy then approached the Additional Special Court for trial cases against MPs/MLAs to discharge him from the case.

The lawyers of the minister told the special court that the plot was allocated to the former PSO as per the norms, adding Periyaswamy did not have any role to play in it.

The counsels also argued that the property was sold at market price only and the Tamil Nadu Housing Board did not incur any loss in the sale.

Counsels -- Ragunathan and Saravanan, who appeared for I. Periyaswamy, pointed out that "it (the matter) was a pure political vendetta by the previous regime of AIADMK".

After hearing the arguments, Justice G. Jayalal of the Additional Special Court for Trial cases against MPs and MLAs eventually discharged I. Periyaswamy from the case.

Disclaimer: This story has not been edited by the Sakshi Post team and is auto-generated from syndicated feed.