IT seizes Rs 163 crore cash, 100 kg gold, opposition seeks TN CM's resignation
Chennai, July 17: Leaders of major political parties in Tamil Nadu on Tuesday demanded a multi-agency probe into the affairs of road contractors raided by Income Tax department in the state and also the resignation of Chief Minister K. Palaniswami.
The demand follows the IT department's seizure of unaccounted Rs 163 crore in cash and 100 kg of gold during searches carried out in the premises of Nagarajan Seyyadurai, promoter of SPK & Co, employees and associates.
The IT department also said that apart from the unaccounted assets, incriminating documents in the form of registers, diaries and loose sheets were also seized.
While Rs 24 lakh cash was seized from Seyyadurai's residence, the remaining cash and gold were kept at the places of his employees, associates and in cars.
The SPK group has interests in road contracts and other businesses.
DMK leader M.K. Stalin questioned the silence of Chief Minister Palaniswami after the IT search and seizure of huge amount of cash and gold from road building contractors who bid for state government road projects.
Stalin demanded the resignation of Palaniswami to ensure a proper investigation.
Stalin, the Leader of the Opposition in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, sought the cancellation of all contracts given to companies promoted by Seyyadurai and the kin of Palaniswami who is also into road construction business.
Former Union Minister and PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss said the seizure of cash and gold clearly showed that these were not earned in a proper manner.
Ramadoss said the kin of the Chief Minister was too involved in road contracting business in Tamil Nadu.
He said there should be a multi-agency probe involving the Enforcement Directorate and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) following the IT search and seizures.
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SC allows passive euthanasia for 32-year-old man in coma for over 12 years
New Delhi, Mar 11 (PTI): The Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed passive euthanasia for a 32-year-old man who has been in a comatose condition for more than 12 years, by withdrawing his artificial life support.
Passive euthanasia is the intentional act of letting a patient die by withholding or withdrawing life support or the treatment necessary to keep him alive.
Harish Rana suffered head injuries after falling from the fourth floor of a building in 2013 and has been in a coma for over a decade.
A bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and K V Viswanathan directed AIIMS to grant admission in palliative care to Rana so that the medical treatment can be withdrawn. It must be ensured that it is withdrawn with a tailored plan so that dignity is maintained, the bench said.
The top court earlier expressed its desire to meet the parents of the 32-year-old man. It had perused a report containing Rana's medical history filed by a secondary medical board of doctors from the AIIMS-Delhi and remarked that it was a "sad" report.
The primary medical board, after examining the patient's condition, had stressed the negligible chance of his recovery.
The top court had, on December 11, noted that according to the report of the primary medical board, the man is in a "pathetic condition".
According to the guidelines issued by the apex court in 2023, a primary and a secondary medical board will have to be formed for an expert opinion on the withdrawal of artificial life support for a patient in a vegetative state.
