7 months ago
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The Madras High Court connected Monday called for an mentation from the Public Secretary for having sat connected the files, seeking authorisation to prosecute 2 IAS officers successful the ₹98.25 crore corp declaration irregularities lawsuit against erstwhile AIADMK Minister S.P. Velumani, from January 5, 2024 to August 30, 2025.
Justice N. Anand Venkatesh passed the orders aft impleading the Public Secretary suo motu arsenic 1 of the respondents to a contempt of tribunal petition filed by anti-corruption organisation Arappor Iyakkam against the investigating officers for having delayed the prosecution by a sizeable fig of years.
The justice impleaded the Vigilance Commissioner arsenic good arsenic the Director of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption arsenic respondents and directed them to respond, by January 6, arsenic to wherefore they did not travel up the contented with the Public section and reminded the second to nonstop the files to the Centre for obtaining sanction.
Justice Venkatesh agreed with the petitioner’s counsel V. Suresh that the anti-corruption organisation had to sound connected the doors of the tribunal astatine each signifier of the case, opening from the lodging of the complaint, and get a absorption to the constabulary adjacent to execute their statutory duties.
The tribunal took enactment that the irregularities successful the grant of contracts had allegedly taken spot successful Chennai and Coimbatore municipal corporations erstwhile Mr. Velumani had served arsenic the Municipal Administration Minister betwixt 2014 and 2018. Thereafter, a First Information Report was registered against him and others successful 2021.
Though astir 4 years had lapsed since then, the proceedings against the accused had not commenced till present contempt aggregate petitions filed by Jayaram Venkatesan of Arappor Iyakkam for speeding up the process. Justice Venkatesh was present seized of a 2nd contempt of tribunal petition filed by the organisation.
While perusing the lawsuit papers, the justice recovered that the Vigilance Commissioner (in the fertile of Additional Chief Secretary) had forwarded a proposal to the Public Secretary connected January 5, 2024 for obtaining authorisation to prosecute the IAS officers K.S. Kandasamy and K. Vijaya Karthikeyan successful transportation with the case.
The proposal was, however, kept successful acold retention successful the bureau of the Public section from January 5, 2024 and was forwarded to the Centre lone connected August 30, 2025. Expressing dismay implicit specified a lethargic cognition erstwhile it comes to prosecuting IAS officers, the justice wanted to cognize if the hold was deliberate.
“The Prevention of Corruption Act cannot beryllium confined to little level unit specified arsenic Tahsildars, VAOs, RTOs and truthful on. If the strategy does not enactment with adjacent alacrity against Ministers, IAS officers and judges too, the radical volition suffer religion successful the system,” Justice Venkatesh told the DVAC officials contiguous successful the tribunal hall.
