After he was sentenced by the Madras High Court to three years in prison in a disproportionate assets case, Ponmudy was disqualified as a legislator. Consequently, he ceased to be a Minister.
Governor RN Ravi approves Chief Minister MK Stalin’s recommendation to reallocate the portfolios after the higher education minister gets 3-year jail in a corruption case.
Tamil Nadu news: Following the conviction, Ponmudy stands disqualified as a legislator. He is the third legislator from Tamil Nadu to have been disqualified after former chief minister Jayalalithaa and MLA P Balakrishna Reddy.
The 72-year-old, who commands considerable influence in the state’s Villupuram-Kallakurichi belt, has been convicted by the Madras High Court in a disproportionate assets case along with his wife. His family runs a chain of educational Institutions
The case centres around allegations that Ponmudy and his wife amassed assets worth Rs 1.79 crore between April 2006 and March 2010 during his tenure as Mines and Minerals minister.