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Chennai, Oct 13 (IANS) The Madras High Court on Monday came down heavily on the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) for its prolonged inaction in high-profile corruption cases, and stressed that such investigations involving ministers, MLAs and IAS officers should not be allowed to be marred by endless procedural delays.
Justice N. Anand Venkatesh, in his interim order, said corruption cases against present or former public officials should be pursued expeditiously to maintain public confidence in the criminal justice system.
His comments came while hearing a contempt petition filed by Jayaram Venkatesan of anti-corruption group Arappor Iyakkam over the failure of the DVAC to initiate hearing in a case registered in 2021.
The case pertains to alleged irregularities worth Rs 98.25 crore in the allocation of municipal contracts during the tenure of former AIADMK minister SP Velumani (2014-2018).
Expressing disappointment over the lack of progress, Justice Venkatesh said the DVAC had shown “disgraceful conduct” by disregarding earlier court directions. However, he gave one last chance to the authorities and adjourned the contempt proceedings till November 10, 2025.
Additional Public Prosecutor E. Raj Tilak informed the court that the DVAC would complete the translation of all local documents into English within four weeks and then seek the Centre’s sanction to prosecute the two IAS officers linked to the case.
The judge directed the agency to report the progress on the next hearing date and explain why the officials concerned should not face penalty for non-compliance.
Justice Venkatesh said the DVAC failed to seek extension when it missed the April 2024 deadline to file the chargesheet and showed “no concrete progress” even after the contempt petition was filed.
He rejected the agency’s claim that its proposal to the Center was returned in the absence of translated documents, reminding that the translation requirement was effective from October 18, 2024.
“Being a specialized anti-corruption agency, DVAC should have been aware of such requirements. Its conduct certainly revolved around abusive behaviour,” the judge warned.
–IANS
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