Petition seeking return of seized money dismissed

The Madras High Court on Monday dismissed with costs of Rs.10,000 a writ petition by a woman of Dindigul district seeking a direction to the Nodal Cell Officer (NCO), Flying Squad, Dindigul, to return Rs.13.64 lakh seized from her on March 21.

In her petition, K. Murugeswari of Thattankulam, Palani, wife of Mariappan who is the DMK's divisional secretary, said seizure was effected on the instructions of the Election Commission and the District Election Officer and District Collector, Dindigul district.

Her husband had stated that a landed property at Sivagiripatti, Palani taluk, had been agreed to be sold to Selvam and Mansoor Ahammed and the two had given the money to her.

On March 31, the court had directed the petitioner to implead the two persons and serve notice on them to file an affidavit disclosing the source of the money. In its order on Monday, the First Bench, comprising Chief Justice M.Y. Eqbal and Justice T.S. Sivagnanam, said when the matter was taken up on April 11, neither those persons had been impleaded as parties nor did the petitioner's counsel appear in court. Therefore, the matter was adjourned to be taken up after two weeks. Even on Monday, no one appeared on behalf of the petitioner. Seeing the conduct of the petitioner in filing such a petition, the Bench said it was dismissing the petition with costs payable to the Tamil Nadu State Legal Services Authority, Chennai.