“Ponmudi is tainted of corruption and that his appointment would be against constitutional morality,” he said. But on March 11, in a major relief to former Tamil Nadu Higher Education Minister Ponmudy, the Supreme Court’s two-judge bench headed by Justice Abhay S Oka and also comprising Justice Ujjal Bhuyan, in its order on March 11 stayed his conviction in connection with the DA case against him. It also suspended the sentence of his wife, P Vishalatchi, and directed her that she can move the special court for bail.The top court passed the order, after hearing from senior advocate and former Attorney General (AG) of India, Mukul Rohatgi, who appeared for the couple before the top court today and argued that they were innocent in the case.The Supreme Court had in January in its decision refused to grant an interim stay on the 3-year jail sentence ordered by the Madras High Court to former DMK minister in the TN govt, Ponmudy and his wife, P Vishalatchi in a DA case.The former DMK Minister Ponmudy and his wife, Vishalatchi had knocked the doors of the Supreme Court on January 3, challenging their conviction and three-year imprisonment in a Rs 1.75-crore DA case.Ponmudy 73 and Vishalatchi, 68, had filed their respective Special Leave Petitions (SLP) before the Top court challenging their conviction and sentence.On behalf Ponmudy and his wife, Visalakhi, advocates Agarwala and Pulkit Tare have filed the SLPs before the Top court challenging their conviction and sentence. They are, in their SLP, sought stay of the order of the Madras HC and exemption from surrendering.
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