CHENNAI: The Principal Sessions Court in Chennai on Friday ordered the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) to conduct a further investigation into the alleged Rs 28-crore bribery case against former AIADMK minister and current DMK MLA R Vaithilingam. The court directed the agency to complete the probe within three months.
The case relates to allegations that the MLA accepted a Rs 28-crore bribe to grant planning approval for a Sriram Properties housing project at Perungalathur during his tenure as Housing Minister in the AIADMK government between 2011 and 2016.
Arappor Iyakkam filed the complaint before the DVAC in 2022, a case was registered an FIR in September 2024. However, in February, a month after Vaithilingam joined the DMK, the agency filed a closure report stating that there was insufficient evidence.
Arappor Iyakkam challenged the closure report before the court. When the petition came up for hearing, the DVAC also sought permission to carry out a fresh probe.
Allowing the plea, Principal Sessions Judge S Karthikeyan permitted the agency to reopen the probe and directed it to complete the investigation and submit its report within three months.