The Madras High Court acquitted former Rajya Sabha MP T M Selvaganapathy, overturning his two-year imprisonment sentence issued by a special CBI court in the cremation shed scam of 2014. This conviction had led to his loss of Rajya Sabha membership. The case involved Selvaganapathy, the then Minister for Rural Development and Local Administration, along with others—J.T. Acharyulu, former Secretary, Rural Development; M. Sathyamurthy, former Director, Rural Development; M. Krishnamurthy, retired project officer; and T. Bharathi.

They were all sentenced to two years of rigorous imprisonment and fined Rs. 25,000 each by the CBI court. The allegations dated back to 1997 when the Anti-Corruption Branch of the CBI registered the case. It claimed that Selvaganapathy and associates conspired between 1995 and 1996, causing financial harm to the Government in the construction of cremation sheds under the Jawahar Rozgar Yojana (JRY).

According to the CBI, a meeting chaired by Selvaganapathy resulted in the decision to build 100 cremation sheds for Adi Dravidars in Nagapattinam. Instead of awarding the contract to Cooperative Societies, private companies were assigned the work. Subsequent inspections by PwD officials revealed inadequate execution, prompting the CBI investigation.

Case Title: T M Selvaganapathy and Others v State