CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Friday temporarily restrained the state from taking any further action pursuant to the registration of a first information report (FIR) against former minister KN Nehru and others by the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) in connection with the alleged cash-for-jobs scam in the municipal administration and water supplies department during the previous DMK regime.
The court passed the interim order after senior counsel PH Arvindh Pandian, representing Nehru, told the court that the DVAC had gone ahead and registered the FIR despite assurance from the former Advocate General PS Raman under the erstwhile DMK government to the court that the state would not take any coercive action in the case.
“Taking into account the statement of the then Advocate General made at the Bar, we direct the state authorities not to undertake any further proceedings till the next hearing,” the first bench of Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G Arul Murugan said in the order passed on Friday.
Hearing a petition filed by AIADMK MP IS Inbadurai in the alleged scam, the HC, on February 20, 2026, issued a direction to the DVAC to “register an FIR forthwith” by taking into consideration the materials furnished by the Enforcement Directorate on October 27, 2025, to the DGP.
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The petitioner later filed a contempt petition seeking action against then Director (in-charge) of DVAC AT Duraikumar for disobeying the orders of the court.
Meanwhile, review petitions were filed by the state and Nehru seeking a review of the court’s order and certain law points including the necessity to obtain prior sanction from the government before registering the FIR under section 17 A of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
When the matters came up for hearing on April 28, 2026, the court adjourned the hearing to June 23, 2026, following an assurance by the counsel for the contempt petitioner that he would not precipitate the matter till then.
The then Advocate General PS Raman also gave an undertaking that the state will not take any coercive action.
When the bench questioned as to why the DVAC proceeded to register the FIR despite the assurance of then Advocate General, sitting Advocate General Vijay Narayan submitted that he was aware of the statement made by the then Advocate General and the FIR was registered “only based on the orders passed by the court”.
He added the state proceeded further since there was no stay of further proceedings and informed that the state is withdrawing the review petition.
The bench said, “Since the hearing is already fixed on June 23, no harm would be caused to the state if further proceedings are kept in abeyance till then.” It posted the matters on June 23 for hearing.