Chennai: The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) has informed the Madras High Court that a delay in securing sanction to prosecute two IAS officers in the S.P. Velumani corruption case is due to the Centre’s insistence on translated copies of all vernacular documents.
Appearing before Justice N. Anand Venkatesh, Additional Public Prosecutor E. Raj Thilak said the Centre introduced this new requirement in 2024, significantly impacting the pace of investigations involving government officials.
Centre Now Requires Translated Documents for Prosecution Sanctions
The APP told the court that the corruption case, which involves former AIADMK Minister S.P. Velumani, includes more than 41,000 pages of documents — many of them in Tamil — related to alleged irregularities in awarding contracts during Velumani’s tenure as Municipal Administration Minister between 2014 and 2018.
“Since 2024, the Union Government has mandated submission of translated copies of all vernacular documents to consider sanctions for prosecuting IAS officers,” Thilak said.
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Case Origin: ₹98.25 Crore Loss to Public Exchequer
The petition was filed by Jayaram Venkatesan, founder of Arappor Iyakkam, an anti-corruption organization. His counsel, Advocate S. Tanvi, argued that despite the First Information Report (FIR) being filed in 2021 and investigation concluded within two years, no prosecution sanction had been obtained for two IAS officers:
- K.S. Kandasamy
- K. Vijaya Karthikeyan
These officers, along with Velumani and others, are accused of causing a loss of ₹98.25 crore to the public exchequer due to contract irregularities in the Greater Chennai and Coimbatore Corporations.
Sanction Obtained for Velumani, But IAS Officers Await Approval
The DVAC has already received sanction to prosecute Velumani from Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker M. Appavu on February 12, 2024. However, it is still awaiting the Centre’s approval for proceeding against the IAS officers.
The petitioner argued that the delay was “inexcusable,” given that chargesheets have already been filed in two aspects of the case:
- Relaying of bus route roads
- Supply of drivers, cleaners, and tipper lorries for garbage collection
- Third Part of Investigation Still Pending
The third component of the investigation — alleged manipulation of tender conditions for the outsourcing of 302 staff nurses for urban primary health centres — remains incomplete. The court was informed that DVAC is yet to explain the delay in wrapping up this part of the probe.
High Court Takes Serious Note, Sets Date for Final Hearing
After hearing both sides, Justice Venkatesh directed the High Court Registry to list the contempt of court petition for final hearing next month. The judge had earlier questioned the special court’s delay in even taking the chargesheets on file.
This case continues to hold political and bureaucratic ramifications, particularly as it involves:
- A prominent former Minister,
- Serving and retired IAS officers,
- Allegations of gross misuse of public funds.
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