By Jayaram Venkatesan

Copyright thehindu

The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) on Friday (September 19, 2025) informed the Madras High Court that the delay in obtaining sanction to prosecute two IAS officers, in a corruption case registered against former AIADMK Minister S.P. Velumani, was due to the need to translate voluminous documents.

Appearing before Justice N. Anand Venkatesh, Additional Public Prosecutor (APP) E. Raj Thilak said the Centre had introduced a new procedure, since 2024, which requires the submission of translated copies of all vernacular documents while seeking sanction to prosecute IAS officers for criminal offences.

The APP said the case against Mr. Velumani and others involved over 41,000 pages of documents and hence, there was a delay in obtaining sanction. The submission was made in response to a contempt of court petition filed by Jayaram Venkatesan of Arappor Iyakkam, an anti-corruption organisation.

Advocate S. Tanvi told the court that her client had lodged a complaint against the former Minister, the IAS officers, and others for alleged irregularities in the award of contracts by the Greater Chennai and Coimbatore Corporations during the tenure of Mr. Velumani as Municipal Administration Minister between 2014 and 2018.

Though the FIR was registered as early as in 2021 and the investigation was completed in a couple of years thereafter — confirming a loss of ₹98.25 crore having been caused to the public exchequer due to the irregularities — the DVAC was yet to obtain sanction to prosecute all the accused, the counsel complained.

She said the investigating agency had claimed to have obtained sanction to prosecute Mr. Velumani from the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly Speaker M. Appavu on February 12, 2024, but it was yet to obtain sanction from the Centre to prosecute IAS officers K.S. Kandasamy and K. Vijaya Karthikeyan.

It was also brought to the notice of the court that the DVAC had so far completed investigation and filed charge-sheets with respect to the first two charges — irregularities in relaying of bus route roads and the irregularities in the supply of drivers, cleaners, and tipper lorries for garbage clearance.

The investigation with respect to the third charge, of manipulation of tender conditions for outsourcing 302 staff nurses for urban primary health centres, had not been completed yet and therefore, the DVAC was bound to explain this delay to the court, the counsel insisted.

After hearing her and the APP, the judge directed the High Court Registry to list the contempt of court petition for final hearing next month.