MADURAI: After hearing that the special investigation team tasked with the probe of the Madurai corporation property tax scam case has obtained sanction for the prosecution of seven of the eight government employees accused in the case, the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court on Friday directed the team to file its final report before the jurisdictional court within the limitation period of 60 days from obtaining sanction for the remaining accused.
A bench of justices CV Karthikeyan and R Sakthivel gave the direction on a PIL filed by a former AIADMK councillor, T Ravi, seeking a CBI probe into the case.
Ravi alleged that the mayor and zonal chairpersons, in connivance with the corporation officials, had committed a huge scam in property tax collection, causing a total loss of several crores to the civic body.
The corporation commissioner had lodged a complaint before the city police commissioner in this regard in September 2024, but the police registered a case only in June 2025, he claimed. Further alleging that the police have arrested only low-ranking officials and contract staff, leaving out the real culprits by acting hand in glove with the latter, he sought direction for a CBI probe.
Upon hearing the plea, the HC had earlier directed the IGP (South Zone) and the Madurai City police commissioner to constitute a special team headed by a senior IPS officer with proven integrity to probe the scam. DIG (Madurai Range) was assigned to probe the case.
In the last hearing, the government counsel representing the investigation officer had told the court that eight government employees have been arrayed as accused in the case, and sanction to prosecute has been granted only with respect to five of them.
Recording this, the judges directed the investigation officer to proceed with the investigation as soon as the sanction is obtained and file the final report before the jurisdictional court within the limitation period of 60 days. The case was adjourned for two months.