K. Ponmudi (born Deivasigamani K, 19 August 1950) is an

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Associated with India * of or related to India ** Indian people ** Indian diaspora ** Languages of India ** Indian English, a dialect of the English language ** Indian cuisine Associated with indigenous peoples o ...

politician and the Former Minister for Forests of

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

, who was disqualified in 2023 after the

Madras High Court The High Court of Judicature at Madras is a High Courts of India, High Court located in Chennai, India. It has appellate jurisdiction over the state of Tamil Nadu and the union territory of Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry. It is one of ...

convicted him in the disproportionate assets case. He was the Minister for Higher Education of

from 2006 to 2011. He was born in T. Edaiyar in the

Villupuram district Viluppuram, Villupuram or Vizhuppuram is one of the 38 districts that make up the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It was founded on 30 September 1993, prior to which it was part of the Cuddalore district. Vizhuppuram district lies in the way of the ...

. He has a bachelor's degree in law, a master's degree in history, political science and public administration and a doctorate in political science. He is an alumnus of

Annamalai University The Annamalai University (AU) is a public state university in Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu, India. The sprawling campus offers courses of higher education in arts, science, engineering, management, humanities, agriculture, and physical education. ...

. Before entering professional politics, he was a professor in the Villupuram government college. He has been elected to the

assembly five times. From 1989 to 1991 during

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (; ; DMK) is an Indian political party based in the state of Tamil Nadu, where it is currently the ruling party, and the union territory of Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry, where it is currently the main ...

rule he was the Minister for Health, and from 1996 to 2001 he was the Minister for Transport and Highways. He authored a book titled ''Dravidian Movement in India and Black Movement in the U.S.A.'' On April 24, 2025, the

decided to initiate suo motu proceedings against K. Ponmudy for his remarks against Shaivism, Vaishnavism, and women, which it deemed prima facie hate speech.

Conviction

On 19 December 2023, The

convicted him in disproportionate assets case for amassing assets during his tenure as minister for Mines and Minerals in 2006–2011 DMK Government. On 21 December 2023, he and his wife were sentenced to three years imprisonment as well as to a fine of ₹50 lakhs each by the Madras High Court. The court stayed the sentence imposed on them to appeal before the Supreme Court for 30 days. As a result, Ponmudi was disqualified as an MLA and minister as per

Representation of the People Act, 1951 The Representation of the People Act, 1951 is an act of Parliament of India to provide for the conduct of election of the Parliament of India, Houses of Parliament and to the House or Houses of the Vidhan Sabha, Legislature of each State, the ...

Electoral results

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ponmudy, K Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam politicians Tamil Nadu ministers Living people 1950 births Annamalai University alumni Tamil Nadu MLAs 1989–1991 Tamil Nadu MLAs 1996–2001 Tamil Nadu MLAs 2001–2006 Tamil Nadu MLAs 2006–2011 Tamil Nadu MLAs 2016–2021 Tamil Nadu MLAs 2021–2026