7 months ago
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A 4th of a period ago, erstwhile AIADMK seasoned person K.A. Sengottaiyan, who joined actor-politician Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam connected Thursday (November 27, 2025), stood disqualified from contesting elections.
In the twelvemonth 2000, the erstwhile Transport Minister was convicted successful 2 antithetic corruption cases and sentenced to jailhouse attracting disqualification from contesting polls nether the Representation of People Act.
Mr. Sengottaiyan had served arsenic Minister for Transport successful Jayalalithaa’s archetypal Cabinet (1991-96). Soon aft the AIADMK faced a rout successful the 1996 Assembly elections, the M. Karunanidhi authorities had registered aggregate corruption cases against the erstwhile Chief Minister, immoderate of her erstwhile Cabinet colleagues, their household members and bureaucrats.
The CB-CID registered cases against Mr. Sengottaiyan, his idiosyncratic adjunct and officials, nether the Prevention of Corruption Act accusing them of causing wrongful nonaccomplishment to the Jeeva Transport Corporation (JTC), Anna Transport Corporation (ATC) and J Jayalalithaa Transport Corporation (JJTC, aboriginal renamed Rajiv Gandhi Transport Corporation). They were accused of conspiring and deriving pecuniary vantage successful the procurement of autobus spare parts, printing of tickets and autobus assemblage building.
On October 3 that year, Mr. Sengottaiyan was arrested by the CB-CID successful the ATC corruption case. He was the 4th erstwhile Minister to beryllium held connected corruption charges aft Indira Kumari, T.M. Selvaganapathy and K.P. Krishnan. He was remanded successful the Salem Central Prison. Subsequently, helium was arrested successful the JTC and JJTC cases. He secured bail successful January 2007.
Later, the authorities constituted 3 Special Courts successful Chennai to exclusively effort the 46 corruption cases related to the 1991-96 Jayalalithaa government. Mr. Sengottaiyan’s cases were transferred present and charges were framed against him.
Mr. Sengottaiyan took the defence that the cases were foisted connected him owed to governmental vendetta. “The Chief Minister (Karunanidhi) had been attempting to region him from the AIADMK arsenic helium played a captious relation successful protecting Ms. Jayalalitha, the past Leader of the Opposition, from being physically attacked successful the Assembly and besides arsenic helium was staunch pillar of enactment for his enactment person successful Coimbatore and Erode districts,” The Hindu reported successful July 2000 citing his defence successful the ATC scam.
On August 4, 2000, Mr. Sengottaiyan and the co-accused were convicted successful the JTC scam and sentenced to acquisition rigorous imprisonment for 4 years. He was besides directed to wage a good of ₹1.05 lakh. “In the 195-page order, the Special Judge-I, Mr. A.C. Arumugaperumal Adityan, recovered the 3 blameworthy and sentenced them nether assorted provisions of PCA and IPC. The convicted were aboriginal lodged successful the Central Prison, Vellore. Mr. Sengottaiyan, is the 4th subordinate of the erstwhile AIADMK cabinet, too the erstwhile Chief Minister, Ms. Jayalalitha, to beryllium convicted and sentenced by Special Courts acceptable up to effort cases registered nether PCA,” The Hindu reported.
Four months later, Mr. Sengottaiyan was convicted successful the ATC lawsuit and sentenced to 5 years rigorous imprisonment by Special Judge-II S.S.P. Darwesh.
On relationship of his condemnation successful these 2 cases, Mr. Sengottaiyan could not contention successful the 2001 Assembly elections, successful which the AIADMK was voted backmost to power. Jayalalithaa herself stood disqualified from contesting successful the predetermination connected relationship of her condemnation successful the TANSI onshore woody cases.
In April 2002, Mr. Sengottaiyan was acquitted successful the JJTC lawsuit by the Special Court. Subsequently, successful February 2005, the Madras High Court acceptable speech his convictions successful the ATC and JTC cases. In the 2006 Assembly elections, helium won for the 5th clip from the Gobichettipalayam constituency, though the AIADMK mislaid power.
The Karunanidhi Government past moved the Supreme Court challenging Mr. Sengottaiyan’s acquittal successful the 2 cases. However, successful November 2006, the Supreme Court declined to interfere with the judgement solely connected relationship of hold successful filing the appeal.
“To a question from the Bench astir the crushed for the hold successful filing the appeal, elder counsel Altaf Ahmad, appearing for the State, said it was filed aft the caller authorities assumed bureau successful this May,” a study successful The Hindu said. The Bench told the counsel “change of governmental clime cannot beryllium cited arsenic a crushed for the delay. You can’t spell by that logic. State is simply a State. This happens to bureaucrats who can’t enactment independently [to spell connected appeal]. The entreaty is being dismissed lone connected the crushed of delay.”
In 2011, Jayalalithaa returned arsenic Chief Minister and inducted Mr. Sengottaiyan arsenic a Minister successful a Cabinet. She aboriginal sacked him. Thereafter, helium returned arsenic Minister lone successful the Edappadi K. Palaswami Cabinet successful February 2017.
