The Madras High Court on Tuesday reserved its verdict on a plea that sought registration of a First Information Report (FIR) with respect to the alleged large-scale corruption in the award of five civil contracts by the State Highways Department — a portfolio held by Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami.
Justice A.D. Jagadish Chandira deferred the verdict after the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) told him that it had conducted a preliminary inquiry on the basis of a complaint lodged by Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam organising secretary R.S. Bharathi on June 13, but did not find commission of any cognisable offence.
Advocate General Vijay Narayan said that two of the five highway-widening projects referred to were funded by the World Bank. Of those two, one had been cancelled and the other was yet to start. So far, the government had not spent any substantial amount on the second project, he added.
Stating that the DVAC had conducted a thorough inquiry, he brought to the notice of the court the fact that the directorate was a body independent of the police department and reported only to the Vigilance Commissioner. The court was told that DVAC functions under the Personnel and Administrative Reforms department and not the Home Department.
However, senior counsel N.R. Elango, representing the complainant, said, the conduct of the DVAC in “justifying every other act of the accused creates an apprehension in the mind of the petitioner that there may not have been a fair and independent inquiry. That is exactly the reason why we are seeking a court-monitored investigation.”
In his written submissions, the senior counsel said, “The position of the accused, the scale of corruption and the conduct of the respondent (DVAC) make this an exceptional and rarest of rare case wherein this honourable court must intervene to ensure accountability even for persons occupying high positions of power.”