CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to resume its preliminary inquiry into a complaint alleging large-scale corruption in projects of state-owned NLC India Ltd, while declining to order immediate registration of a criminal case.
In an order delivered on Wednesday, Justice M Nirmal Kumar asked the CBI’s anti-corruption branch in Chennai to summon the complainant, H Manikandan of Cuddalore, on February 23 and examine the documents supporting his allegations. The court directed the petitioner to cooperate with the inquiry, after which the agency may take action “in the manner known to law”.
Manikandan had approached the court seeking a writ of mandamus to compel the CBI to register an FIR on his July 2025 complaint, which accused senior NLC India officials, contractors and private entities of criminal misconduct, cheating, breach of trust and forgery, allegedly causing losses of about Rs 422 crore between 2022 and 2025.
The complaint cited five instances, including alleged irregularities in contract awards and revisions at the Talabira thermal power project in Odisha, nomination-based award of an integrated township project at inflated costs, repeated extensions for pond ash transport at nominal rates despite vigilance objections, misuse of corporate social responsibility funds, and a forged authorisation letter purportedly used to seek bank guarantees from Exim Bank.
The CBI, however, maintained that the complaint lacked prima facie supporting material and that the petitioner failed to produce documents despite being called for verification. It argued that preliminary scrutiny was permissible, particularly in corruption cases involving public servants.
The court held that serious allegations against senior officials could not automatically trigger an FIR without verification.