MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of Madras High Court has directed the state to strengthen the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) by reviewing and enhancing its sanctioned strength and infrastructure within six months.
Justice B Pugalendhi gave this direction recently while hearing a petition filed by a woman who alleged that DVAC did not take action on her complaint against revenue department officials.
“Combating corruption is a constitutional imperative, not an optional policy,” the judge said, adding DVAC must actively combat corruption, not merely act as a “post office”.
The petitioner, Malar Selvi of Madurai district, stated that her ancestral properties had been fraudulently alienated, and revenue officials demanded bribe for property transfer. The DVAC submitted that there was a severe shortage of manpower in the department and that it has only 541 staff to oversee over 16.93 lakh government servants and handle around 15,000 annual complaints.
However, the judge found the petitioner’s complaint to be serious, and impleaded the Madurai district collector and the vigilance commissioner in the case. Further, he ordered an FIR to be registered and a thorough investigation in the case.
Also, he directed the collector to re-examine the property documents and take action against all errant officials. The DVAC, established in 1964, is a specialized investigative agency. It stressed that complaints cannot be dismissed just for lacking documents and the DVAC has the power to verify facts, access records, and conduct searches, the judge pointed out.
