Madras High Court Upholds Conviction in MLA Cheating Case

The Madras High Court has affirmed the conviction of Papanasam MLA M H Jawahirullah and four others in a cheating case from 2003 involving unauthorized foreign contributions. Appeals are expected after the court granted temporary suspension of the order to allow for further legal action.

The Madras High Court has upheld a trial court's verdict convicting Papanasam MLA M H Jawahirullah and four others in a cheating case. The decision, delivered on Friday, relates to an offense involving foreign contributions made without proper government registration.

Justice P Velmurugan dismissed petitions by Jawahriullahh, S Hyder Ali, and G M Sheik that challenged the Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's 2011 ruling. The court did, however, grant a temporary suspension of the order, allowing the petitioners time to file an appeal for either a stay or suspension of the ruling.

The case, initiated by the CBI in 2003, charged the accused with forming an illegal association, Coimbatore Muslim Relief Fund, to collect foreign funds between December 1997 and June 2000. The alleged scheme garnered Rs 1.54 crore in contributions without the government's necessary authorization.

(With inputs from agencies.)