The Madras High Court on Thursday decided to commence hearing from October 26 a petition filed by R.S. Bharathi of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in 2018 seeking a Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) probe into charges of nepotism and corruption in award of several civil work contracts by the State highways department, a portfolio held by the then Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami of All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.
Justice V. Sivagnanam fixed the date after hearing State Public Prosecutor Hasan Mohammed Jinnah and advocate M. Mohammed Riyaz who told the court that he had filed a vakalatnama (authorisation permitting a lawyer to appear on behalf of his client) for the former Chief Minister since the Supreme Court had ordered latter’s inclusion as a party to the case. However, the High Court Registry was yet to take the vakalatnama on file, he said.
The SPP told the court that the High Court had actually disposed of the present petition in October 2018 by ordering a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the allegations. The reason for such direction was that the then officials of the DVAC had reported to the court that a preliminary inquiry conducted by them did not reveal commission of any cognisable offence and hence they had filed a negative report before the Vigilance Commissioner.
