CHENNAI: A petition has been filed in the Madras High Court seeking an order for a CBI probe into the alleged irregularities and misappropriation of funds in the construction of buildings for 11 medical colleges in TN during the AIADMK government, during which the then Chief Minister, Edappadi K Palaniswami, held the PWD portfolio.
N Rajasekaran of Mudikondan in Nannilam taluk of Tiruvarur district filed the petition. He said 11 medical colleges were constructed at Tiruvallur, Ariyalur, Kallakurichi, Namakkal, Ramanathapuram, Virudhnagar, Dindigul, Nagapattinam, Tiruppur, Krishnagiri, and Udagamandalam during the tenure of Palaniswami as CM and PWD minister.
The project cost was shared in the ratio of 60% by the Centre and 40% by the state government. The construction works were carried out in gross violation of prescribed procedures, resulting in large-scale misappropriation and corruption by various officials and contractors, attracting offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, and other penal provisions, Rajasekaran said.
He stated that he lodged a detailed complaint with the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) on July 7, 2021, and furnished copies of documentary materials substantiating the allegations. Since no FIR was registered, he filed a petition in the high court seeking a CBI probe.
The court, he said, disposed of the petition following the submission of the DVAC that a detailed inquiry was commenced on April 10, 2023, after a preliminary inquiry, and a team of PWD engineers was constituted to evaluate the value and design of the buildings. In spite of these submissions, no effective action has been taken by the DVAC till date. The inquiry did not result in any concrete outcome or prosecution, Rajasekaran said.
Stating that he has lost confidence in the impartiality and independence of DVAC in probing complaints against influential political leaders, Rajasekaran said the CBI would be the right agency to probe the complaints since the Centre has contributed 60% of the costs.
He also challenged the GO of the government withdrawing the general consent to the CBI since it restricts the agency.