DMK’s Ponmudy sworn in as minister by Guv Ravi day after SC nudge
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A day after Supreme Court’s nudge, senior Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader K Ponmudy was sworn in as Tamil Nadu Minister by Governor RN Ravi on Friday. Ponmudy had lost his post as a minister after being convicted in a disproportionate assets case about three years ago. He was convicted on 19 December 2023 by the Madras High Court.
Ponmudy has been sworn in as the Tamil Nadu Minister for Higher Education again. The portfolio was briefly held by Backward Classes Minister R S Rajakannappan.
The Tamil Nadu governor, in a simple ceremony at the Raj Bhavan, administered the oath of office and secrecy to Ponmudy in the presence of Chief Minister M K Stalin.
In December, due to Ponmudy’s conviction his portfolios were reshuffled.
End of face-off between Stalin and Ravi
The swearing-in of Ponmudy as Minister in the Tamil Nadu cabinet is believed to be the end of a face-off between the Chief Minister and the Governor.
On March 13, Stalin wrote to Ravi to swear-in the DMK leader as Minister again and to re-allot him the higher education ministry. The Governor has declined it saying Ponmudy’s conviction had only been suspended and not set aside.
This is when the DMK-led government approached the Supreme Court.
Supreme Court’s judgement
The apex court, during the hearing, expressed “serious concern” over Governor Ravi’s conduct as he refused to re-induct Ponmudi as a Minister even after Supreme Court suspended his conviction. The top court directed Ravi to decide the issue within 24 hours.
Observing that Ravi was defying Supreme Court’s order, a three-judge bench comprising Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud wondered how can the governor say that Ponmudy’s reinduction will be against constitutional morality.
Addressing the Attorney General R Venkataramani, the bench said that they are “seriously concerned about the conduct of the governor”.
“We did not want to say it out loud in court but he is defying the Supreme Court of India. Those who have advised him have not advised him properly. Now the governor has to be informed that when the Supreme Court stays a conviction, it stays a conviction,” the apex court said.
Venkataramani raised a technical objections to Tamil Nadu’s plea, and had said that the application has been moved as an interlocutory application in a pending writ petition raising a different issue on bills cleared by the state legislature but pending with the Raj Bhavan.
(With agency inputs)
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Published: 22 Mar 2024, 07:21 PM IST
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