SC Refuses to Entertain Plea Seeking Probe into Alleged Voice Recordings of TN Minister PTR

The Supreme Court on Monday refused to entertain a petition that sought a judicial investigation into alleged voice recordings of Tamil Nadu Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan (PTR).

In the purported recordings, Rajan had reportedly made statements regarding the accumulation of wealth by the family of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin.

A bench comprising Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, dismissed the petition, characterizing it as “bogus.” The bench firmly stated that the Court cannot be transformed into a “political platform.”

The bench remarked, “This is an absolute bogus petition. There is allegedly an audio clip in terms of which the former Finance Minister refers to the family of the CM. This has no evidentiary value. This is hearsay at best.”

The petitioner, Pranesh Rajamanickam, who was representing himself, argued that Thiaga Rajan’s removal as Finance Minister was linked to the voice recordings. He questioned, “If it was not his voice, then why was he changed?”

In response, the bench held that it is beyond the Court’s purview to delve into political decisions related to ministerial portfolio changes. Rajamanickam contended that, as a voter in Tamil Nadu, he has the right to know the reasons behind such decisions and asserted that a judicial inquiry was warranted.

Chief Justice Chandrachud questioned the petitioner’s evidence, asking, “What is the actionable material you have? On the basis of some audio clip, you want us to establish a commission of inquiry? Article 32 petition for investigating an audio clip? We won’t use this as a political platform. Dismissed.”

Upon dictating the order of dismissal, the petitioner made another request for the audio clips to be sent to the Central Forensic Science Laboratory. The bench reiterated that the petition had already been dismissed, refusing the petitioner’s additional plea.