JUDGMENT

Chandramauli Kr. Prasad, J.—Criminal Appeal No.22-23 of 2014 (@Special Leave Petition(Crl.)Nos.3810-3811 of 2012)

The State of Tamil Nadu aggrieved by the order dated 10th of December, 2010 passed by the Madras High Court in Criminal R.C.No.528 of 2009 and Criminal M.P.(MD) No.1 of 2009, setting aside the order dated 25th of September, 2009 passed by the learned Chief Judicial Magistrate-cum-Special Judge, Nagercoil (hereinafter referred to as ‘the Special Judge’), whereby he refused to discharge the respondents, has preferred these special leave petitions.

2. Leave granted.

3. Short facts giving rise to the present appeals are that Respondent No. 1, N. Suresh Rajan, during the period from 13.05.1996 to 14.05.2001, was a Member of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly as also a State Minister of Tourism. Respondent No. 2, K. Neelkanda Pillai is his father and Respondent No. 3, R.Rajam, his mother. On the basis of an information that N. Suresh Rajan, during his tenure as the Minister of Tourism, had acquired and was in possession of pecuniary resources and properties in his name and in the names of his father and mother, disproportionate to his known sources of income, Crim