Terming it a “frivolous” petition, the Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a plea by AIADMK (Amma) deputy general secretary T.T.V. Dhinakaran challenging a Madras High Court order to complete trial proceedings in a Foreign Exchange Regulation Act (FERA) case involving him within three months.
“People pray for a speedy trial. But you want to delay it. We are dismissing this frivolous petition,” a Bench of Justices A.K. Goel and U.U. Lalit observed.
Taking a stern view, Justice Goel threatened to impose costs for the frivolous petition. However, senior advocate S. Nagamuthu, representing Mr. Dhinakaran, prevailed over the Bench to not impose any costs.
The case was registered against Mr. Dhinakaran by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in 1996 for funnelling funds abroad through unauthorised channels.
The ED had initiated two cases against Mr. Dhinakaran. These cases are pending on the files of the Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Court — Economic Offences-II, Egmore. Nearly two decades on, the cases were taken up for trial last April, and the court framed charges against Mr. Dhinakaran on April 19 in one of the cases, besides commencing the trial.
On July 7, the Madras High Court stayed the trial proceedings on a petition filed by Mr. Dhinakaran alleging that the trial court had failed to provide adequate opportunity for his counsel to make his submissions before framing the charges against him.
Disposing of the petition seeking to quash the order on framing of charges, the High Court pointed out that the framing of charges was an important event in the trial of warrant cases. The High Court then permitted Mr. Dhinakaran's counsel to put forth his arguments afresh on the charges framed.
Further, the High Court had ordered the trial court to endeavour to complete the proceedings within three months.