The Madras High Court on Thursday convicted Tamil Nadu higher education minister K Ponmudy in a disproportionate assets case. The minister and his wife were handed a three-year jail term and Rs. 50 lakhs fine. As the minister of higher education, mines and minerals from 2006-2011, Ponmudy amassed wealth to the tune of Rs.1.79 crores disproportionate to his known sources of income.
Justice G Jayachandran found Ponmudy guilty of criminal misconduct under the Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA). 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.
Who is K Ponmudy?
As a college student Ponmudy was attracted towards the Dravidian ideals. He joined Dravidar Kazhagam, the parent body of the DMK. An alumnus of Annamalai University in Chidambaram, Ponmudy is a triple MA and a doctorate holder.
Born in 1950 to teacher parents in T Edayar village in the Villupuram district, Ponmudy was a professor till he got into active politics. In 1989 he moved from Dravidar Kazhagam (DK) to the DMK over differences with the DK leader K Veeramani.
He rose from the ranks against the then DMK heavyweight Gingee Ramachandran. Ponmudy faced his maiden poll in 1989 and won from Villupuram on a DMK ticket. In 1991, however, when DMK was humbled by AIADMK under J Jayalalithaa, Ponmudy was among those who bit dust.
But he bounced back in 1996 and subsequently became the transport minister in M Karunanidhi’s cabinet. He was also elevated as the DMK’s Villupuram district secretary and has been the go-to man for the DMK in the region ever since.
He has won six times and represents the Thirukoyilur constituency. It was during his stint as the transport minister in 1996-2001 he faced the charges of massing wealth disproportionate to his income sources. Yet again in 2006, when the DMK came to power, he was the minister for mines and minerals, during which yet another case on similar grounds was filed by the DVAC. It is in this case that Ponmudy has been convicted now.
His family runs several educational institutions in Villupuram including arts and science colleges, engineering colleges and polytechnic institutions in the name of Surya Group of Institutions. The educational institutions are run by his wife Visalatchi who was also convicted by the Madras High Court. His son Gautham Sigamani is an MP from Kallakurichi, who is also indicted in a more laundering case by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). His younger son Ashok Sigamani is a doctor and president of the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA).
Known for his sharp tongue and swift repartee, Ponmudy recently ran into a controversy when he commented on the free bus ride for women scheme in Tamil Nadu. He was trolled by the right wing and the opposition AIADMK for ridiculing the women who take the free bus ride.
As the higher education minister, Ponmudy had several run-ins with Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi regarding the Vice-Chancellor appointments. He boycotted several convocation ceremonies as a mark of protest against the Governor.
Earlier in January this year, when the Governor walked out of the assembly in a huff, Ponmudy’s hand gesture, asking him to go out, was perceived to be disrespectful.
What does Ponmudy’s fall mean to the DMK?
The Madras High Court convicting Ponmudy has dealt a blow to his political career who had climbed up the ladder all the way from the DMK youth wing. Ponmudy is also one of the Deputy General secretaries of the party and part of its executive committee. The rank and file of the party in Villupuram-Kallakurichi region has always been with Ponmudy and his fall will have a huge impact on the ground in North Tamil Nadu in the ensuing elections.
It is a political setback for the DMK, which is aiming for a larger role within the INDIA alliance ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
On the other side, the party which once lost its regional satrap in Veerapandi Arumugam in Salem, might lose another one in Ponmudy if the leadership fails to be inclusive and address the issues faced by the party men- be it a minister or a cadre.