Chennai, Nov 2 The opposition DMK on Monday sought legal action against Minister A Rajmohan based on his public admission on being offered a Rs 5 crore bribe to nominate a person to the post of president of the Tamil Nadu Iyal Isai Nataka Mandram.
The minister courted trouble during a Tamil Nadu Day celebration speech where he claimed the illicit offer was routed through a middleman.
In the video that went viral on Sunday, the School Education Minister claimed that an unnamed individual approached his friend and colleague Loyola Mani, Chairperson of the Tamil Nadu Textbook and Educational Services Corporation, seeking the top cultural post in exchange for the hefty sum.
DMK Legal Wing Joint Secretary I Paranathaman subsequently petitioned the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC), demanding registration of a formal FIR for “failing” to report the bribery attempt under the Prevention of Corruption Act, and argued that concealing the offender’s identity violates Section 8 of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Citing Rajmohan’s speech, he said, “the DMK legal wing contends that failing to report the bribe offer immediately to law enforcement, keeping it uninvestigated, and concealing the identity of the person who made the offer renders both the Minister and Loyola Mani culpable of concealing evidence and an offense under the anti-corruption framework.”
Hence, an impartial and time-bound enquiry should be conducted in matters involving Minister Rajmohan or other intermediaries, he said according to a release from the party here.
(PTI News)
