CHENNAI: The union government has accorded sanction for prosecuting two IAS officers — K S Kandasamy and P Vijaya Karthikeyan — in the alleged Rs 98.25 crore irregularities committed in awarding tenders in Chennai and Coimbatore municipal corporations during the tenure of senior AIADMK leader S P Velumani as minister for municipal administration and water supply during 2014-18.
Additional Solicitor General (ASG) A R L Sundaresan, representing the centre, and Additional Public Prosecutor Arun Anbumani, representing the TN Public Secretary and the DVAC, made the submission before Justice N Anand Venkatesh of the Madras High Court on Thursday.
The judge was hearing the contempt of court petition filed by anti-corruption NGO Arappor Iyakkam seeking action against DVAC officials who have failed to obey the court’s orders.
The court was informed that the Department of Personnel and Training of the centre issued the orders on Wednesday (November 12) to accord the sanction to prosecute Kandasamy and Vijaya Karthikeyan who had held the posts of Deputy Commissioner (Works), Greater Chennai Corporation, and Commissioner of Coimbatore Corporation, respectively, during the relevant period.
Arun Anbumani told the court the investigating agency would immediately act upon the sanction and file the final report in the jurisdictional court. Referring to the delay in obtaining the sanction and the repeated prodding of the court, the judge said, “This is a classic case of how criminal law works (in case of bureaucrats).”
He added, “For influential people the wheels hardly move.”
He said the court had to push and push and finally the sanction was obtained.
In August this year, the judge suo motu impleaded the DoPT secretary following the inordinate delay in granting sanction to prosecute two IAS officers.
Noting that the files for the sanction had been pending since November 2025, the judge directed the counsel for the centre to get instructions on the stage of the files sent by the Tamil Nadu Public Department seeking sanction.
Senior counsel V Suresh appeared for Arappor Iyakkam.