The Madras High Court on Wednesday modified an interim order passed by it on February 25, 2020 and permitted the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti Corruption (DVAC) to set the law in motion with respect to its probe into irregularities alleged in the award of tenders by the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) in 2018.
Chief Justice S.V. Gangapurwala and Justice P.D. Audikesavalu modified the order after Advocate General R. Shunmugasundaram said the DVAC had completed the preliminary inquiry on the basis of a complaint lodged by anti-corruption organisation Arappor Iyakkam, but was unable to proceed due to the 2020 restraint order.
Observing that the police could not be prevented from setting the law in motion, the Chief Justice’s Bench modified the interim order passed on a public interest litigation filed by Jayaram Venkatesan of Arappor Iyakkam and disposed of the case with liberty to the DVAC and the State government to take further action in accordance with law.
The PIL petition was filed in 2020 insisting upon a DVAC inquiry against the then Municipal Administration Minister S.P. Velumani and others. The litigant had alleged irregularities in 37 tender packages floated by the GCC in August 2018 for relaying existing bus roads as well as inner roads in all zones of the corporation at an outlay of ₹300 crore.
The complainant had complained of irregularities in 73 tender packages floated by the GCC for connecting the missing links of storm-water drains in 335 roads in the city at an estimated cost of ₹290 crore. After this, the DVAC had initiated a preliminary inquiry into the issue but the court restrained it from proceeding further.
