Principal District and Sessions Judge dismisses bail plea of six persons involved in property tax scam in Madurai

The Hindu

23-07-2025

The Principal District and Sessions Judge, Madurai, dismissed the bail petitions filed by six persons said to have been involved in the property tax scam in Madurai Corporation.
Judge S. Sivakadatcham dismissed the bail petitions filed by the then Assistant Commissioner of Madurai Corporation A. Rengarajan, temporary staff members R. Sathish (Technical Assistant) and S. Karthick (Data Entry Operator), and three others, N. Mohamad Noor, J. Saga Hussain and B. Rajesh Kumar, who were running shops near Madurai Corporation office.
The Public Prosecutor submitted that the fraud came to light in September 2024 when the then Corporation commissioner found some irregularities in the records and lodged a police complaint. An audit team found that property taxes of 150 buildings had been reduced without following proper procedures and the review uncovered irregularities in the records of UTIS, an online property tax management platform. Bribes were accepted to lower taxes.
Investigation revealed that Passwords and User IDs of Bill Collectors without sufficient knowledge in computers were used and taxes were reduced for these persons without the knowledge of the Bill Collectors, the Public Prosecutor submitted.
Who else were involved in the commission of the offences were to be identified after investigation. Out of the 150 property owners, so far 80 persons were inquired and the remaining were yet to be inquired. On whose instructions the offences were committed was to be ascertained, the Public Prosecutor submitted and objected to the grant of bail to the petitioners. The petitioners submitted that they were not involved in the offence.
The judge observed that it was contended by the prosecution that the revenue loss might extend to several crores, till date 15 persons were arrayed as accused, more than 70 building owners were yet to be inquired, Madurai Corporation employees were to be examined and the investigation was at a nascent stage.
He also took into account that the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court had directed the Inspector-General of Police (South Zone) and the Madurai Commissioner of Police to constitute a Special Investigation Team, headed by a senior IPS officer, to conduct an investigation into the alleged scam.
If the petitioners were released on bail, there was a chance of them tampering with the evidence, besides absconding, the judge said. The petitioners deserved no consideration for bail at this stage, he said and dismissed the petitions.