CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has questioned the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) over the delay in obtaining sanction from the competent authorities of the government to prosecute the accused persons in the alleged Rs 98.25 crore tender irregularities in Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) and Coimbatore Corporation (CC) when SP Velumani was the municipal administration minister during the previous AIADMK government. Velumani and some government officials, including two IAS officers, have been arraigned as accused. Justice N Anand Venkatesh, in a recent order, directed respondent DVAC SP to file additional affidavit explaining why there was substantial delay in obtaining sanction.
He directed the special court for cases registered under the Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA) in Chennai to submit a report on the delay in taking on file the charge sheets filed by the DVAC against the accused persons and companies as per orders passed in another contempt petition on April 4, 2024.
Senior advocate V Suresh appeared for the petitioner Jayaram Venkatesan, managing trustee of Arappor Iyakkam, who sought the court to punish DVAC SP S Vimala (recently transferred as Namakkal SP) for disobeying the court’s earlier orders in the matter.
The direction was issued following DVAC’s submission, in a counter-affidavit, that the charge sheets themselves state that sanction for prosecution under section 19 of PCA is awaited for two accused IAS officers KS Kandasamy, then deputy commissioner (works), GCC, K Vijayakarthikeyan, then commissioner CC, and P Gandhimathi, then deputy commissioner of Coimbatore corporation.
It further informed that based preliminary inquiry’s outcome, prior approval under section 17 A of PCA was accorded by the government against Velumani and a regular case was according registered under sections of IPC and PCA.