CHENNAI: The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) on Friday informed the
Madras high court that it has commenced a preliminary inquiry on DMK's
complaint of corruption against Tamil Nadu chief minister
Edappadi K Palaniswami.
Advocate general Vijay Narayan made the submission on behalf of the DVAC when the plea came up for hearing before Justice A D Jagadish Chandira.
"We received the complaint on June 22 and immediately began a preliminary inquiry. The investigation is going on," Narayan said.
To this, senior counsel for DMK NR Elango submitted that as per the directions of the Supreme Court such preliminary probe should be completed within seven days, in case of the DVAC it should be completed by two months. The two months period expired on August 22, he added.
Concurring with the submission, the judge asked the advocate general as to why the DVAC had not completed the inquiry in two months. At least a case should have been registered by now, the judge said and directed the DVAC to file its counter by September 4.
DMK organising secretary R S Bharathi is the petitioner. According to him, the chief minister, who is also holding the portfolio of the state highway ministry, had abused his power to allocate five highway laying and maintenance projects worth Rs 3,500 crore to firms owned by his relatives and benamis. Most of the projects were funded by the World Bank, he added.
"Palaniswami, being a government servant, entered into a criminal conspiracy with his relatives and benamis and thereby committed criminal misconduct and obtained undue pecuniary advantage for himself. These offences attract punishment under the IPC and the Prevention of Corruption Act," Bharathi said in his affidavit.
Although a complaint was made on June 13 against Palaniswami, no action had been taken by the DVAC, the petitioner alleged and wanted the court to direct the DVAC to register a case and commence preliminary probe immediately.
Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami