CHENNAI: The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has granted sanction to prosecute two IAS officers, K.S. Kandasamy and K. Vijaya Karthikeyan, under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, in connection with the ₹98.25-crore municipal corporation tender irregularities case involving former AIADMK Minister S.P. Velumani.
The development was brought to the notice of the Madras High Court on Thursday, November 12, 2026. Taking note of the sanction granted by the PMO, Justice N. Anand Venkatesh directed the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) to proceed with the process of filing the charge sheet against all the accused in the long-pending corruption case.
Additional Solicitor General A.R.L. Sundaresan, assisted by Central government senior panel counsel V. Chandrasekar, informed the court about the PMO’s decision and submitted a copy of the sanction order.
Following the submission, the court also ordered the removal of the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) from the list of respondents in the contempt proceedings, observing that it was no longer a necessary party after the sanction process had been completed.
Justice N. Anand Venkatesh Criticises Delay in Prosecution Sanction
During the hearing, Justice N. Anand Venkatesh expressed concern over the prolonged process involved in obtaining sanction to prosecute the two IAS officers.
Referring to the efforts required to secure the necessary approval, the judge observed that the case was a classic example of the difficulties involved in obtaining prosecution sanction against IAS officers in criminal cases.
The judge also made a strong observation about delays in the justice system, stating, “The wheels (of law enforcement) move faster against poor people, but for influential people, the wheels hardly move.”
The court noted that the process had taken considerable time despite the investigation having been completed several years ago. It also highlighted the need for timely action in corruption cases involving public officials.
High Court Directs DVAC to File Charge Sheet
After receiving confirmation that the PMO had granted sanction to prosecute K.S. Kandasamy and K. Vijaya Karthikeyan, the High Court directed the DVAC to move forward with the process of filing the charge sheet against all the accused.
However, the judge decided to keep the contempt petition pending for the limited purpose of monitoring the further progress made by the investigating agency in filing the charge sheet.
The court also ordered the deletion of the DoPT from the array of respondents, as its role in facilitating the prosecution sanction process was no longer required.
Arappor Iyakkam Filed Contempt Petition Over Delay
The contempt proceedings originated from a complaint filed by Arappor Iyakkam, represented by its counsel V. Suresh. The organisation had alleged irregularities in the award of civil contracts by the Greater Chennai and Coimbatore municipal corporations between 2014 and 2018.
The alleged irregularities took place during the tenure of S.P. Velumani as Tamil Nadu’s Minister for Municipal Administration and Water Supply under the AIADMK government.
Based on the complaint filed by Jayaram Venkatesan of Arappor Iyakkam, the DVAC registered a First Information Report (FIR) in 2021 and completed its investigation a few years later.
On February 12, 2024, then Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly Speaker M. Appavu granted sanction to prosecute former Minister S.P. Velumani.
However, the prosecution sanction required for the two IAS officers remained pending. Citing the delay, Arappor Iyakkam approached the Madras High Court in 2025 by filing a contempt of court petition against DVAC officials.
High Court Intervenes to Expedite Prosecution Sanction
During the earlier hearings, Justice N. Anand Venkatesh issued several directions to the Tamil Nadu government to forward the necessary files to the Central government for obtaining prosecution sanction against the IAS officers.
The judge also took suo motu steps to implead the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), New Delhi, in the proceedings to ensure that the approval process was expedited.
Following the High Court’s directions, the Tamil Nadu government forwarded its proposal for prosecution sanction to the DoPT, along with a large volume of supporting documents. The documents also required translation from Tamil into English before the proposal could be processed further.
DoPT Explains PMO’s Role in Granting Sanction
During a hearing on September 16, 2026, Sushil Kumar Patel, Joint Secretary in the DoPT, informed Justice Venkatesh that the Prime Minister’s Office was the competent authority to grant prosecution sanction against the two IAS officers.
He further informed the court that the DoPT had forwarded the relevant files to the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) for its comments. The files would be sent to the PMO after receiving the CVC’s remarks.
The DoPT official had also assured the court that the entire process of obtaining the necessary sanction would be completed within two months.
With the PMO now granting approval to prosecute both IAS officers, the major procedural hurdle in the case has been cleared. The Madras High Court has accordingly directed the DVAC to proceed with filing the charge sheet against former Minister S.P. Velumani and the two IAS officers, while retaining the contempt petition to monitor further progress in the matter.
The case concerns alleged irregularities worth ₹98.25 crore in municipal corporation contracts awarded between 2014 and 2018.
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