MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of Madras High Court on Tuesday directed the Inspector General of Police (South Zone) to file a detailed report on the nature of the investigation, collection of materials, etc., in the case about the property tax scam in Madurai corporation.
A bench of justices N Sathish Kumar and M Jothiraman gave the direction on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) petition filed by a former AIADMK ward councilor, T Ravi, seeking CBI investigation into the scam.
According to Ravi, 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 of money to the civic body. When the same was brought to the notice of the corporation commissioner by AIADMK councilors during the council meetings, the commissioner had appointed a committee and based on the committee’s report, he had lodged a complaint before the city police commissioner, he added.
Though the commissioner had lodged the complaint as early as September 2024, the police registered a case only in June 2025, he pointed out. Further alleging that the police have only arrested low-ranking officials and contract staff and left out the real culprits by acting hand-in-glove with the latter, he sought direction for a CBI probe.
Hearing the plea, the high court had earlier directed the IGP (South Zone) and the Madurai City Police Commissioner to constitute a special investigation team headed by a senior IPS officer with proven integrity to probe into the property tax scam in Madurai Corporation. Based on the said direction, DIG (Madurai Range) was assigned to probe the case.When the petition was heard again on Tuesday, the judges sought a detailed report from the IGP and adjourned the case to July 3.