CHENNAI: The state government on Tuesday told the Madras High Court it is not protecting any official in connection with the alleged tender irregularities committed during the previous AIADMK government when SP Velumani was minister for municipal administration and water supplies department.
The submission was made by Additional Advocate General J Ravindran before Justice N Anand Venkatesh when a contempt of court petition filed by Jayaram Venkatesan of Arappor Iyakkam came up for hearing.
Senior counsel V Suresh, representing the petitioner, filed the reply to the additional counter-affidavit filed by Public Secretary Reeta Harish Thakkar, Vigilance Commissioner K Manivasan and the Director of the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC).
He said the additional affidavits do not explain the unexplained long delay of about 20 months taken for sending the proposal to the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) of the union government for obtaining sanction to prosecute two IAS officers who figure in the FIR.
However, the AAG told the court, “We are of the opinion that the public secretary should have acted faster. Yet, the government is not protecting any officer.”
Stating that the government is awaiting the outcome of the order of the DoPT on the proposal for granting sanction, the AAG requested the court to keep the matters in abeyance till then.
Ravindran also questioned the petitioner whom did he want to proceed against — whether the “corrupt politician” or the public secretary?
Justice Venkatesh remarked that the long inordinate delay in sending the proposal for obtaining sanction “defies logic”. He adjourned the hearing to February 20.
The contempt of court petition sought to punish the DVAC officials for non-filing of chargesheet in the case over Rs 98.25 crore tender irregularities allegedly committed during the tenure of Velumani.