Minister asked to appear for enquiry

The Villupuram district crime branch on Sunday asked Puducherry Transport Minister P.M.L. Kalyanasundaram, who also holds the School and Collegiate Education portfolios, to appear before it for an inquiry in connection with a case registered against him for allegedly engaging a person to write a 10th standard supplementary examination on his behalf in a private school at Tindivanam last month.

Around noon, a team headed by Deputy Superintendent of Police P. Jayaraj met Speaker Sabapathy in the Assembly and briefed him about the case. A letter summoning Mr. Kalyanasundaram to appear before the Villupuram crime branch was also handed over to the Speaker. Later, Mr. Jayaraj told The Hinduthat the crime branch initially wanted the Minister to appear before it on Monday but a day's extension was given following a request made by the Speaker.

Two others accused in the case are school teacher P Adhavan and Rajinikanth, a section clerk in the office of the District Educational Officer. A case has been registered under section 465 (punishment for forgery), 466 (forgery of record of court or public register), 468 (forgery for the purpose of cheating), 471 (using as genuine a forged document), 473 (making or possessing a counterfeit seal with the intent to commit forgery), 419 (cheating by impersonation and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of Indian Penal Code against all the three accused, the police said.

Though Chief Minister N. Rangasamy and the ruling NR Congress were silent on the issue, the opposition, especially All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, was quick to demand immediate action against Mr. Kalyanasundaram.

Secretary of the local unit of AIADMK A. Anbalagan said the party had sought the intervention of President Pratibha Patil on the issue.

In a letter to the President, copies of which were circulated to the media, the party said, “As the President of India is the appointing authority for Ministers in the Union Territory Government, it is for the Home Ministry to recommend to the President immediate dismissal of Mr. Kalyanasundaram from the council of minister without waiting for the recommendation of the Chief Minister.”

Meanwhile, Congress is waiting for the return of Lieutenant Governor Iqbal Singh from New Delhi to make its next move, party sources said.