The Tamil Nadu government announced its intention to withdraw a review application in a case involving DMK leader and former Minister KN Nehru at the Madras High Court on Friday. This case pertains to a directive for the registration of a case by the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) against Nehru, following allegations of corruption. The case is officially cited as Inbadurai Vs Duraikumar.
A Bench comprising Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G Arul Murugan has directed the State to refrain from proceeding further in this matter until June 23. This decision came after the Court was informed about the registration of a first information report (FIR) against Nehru, counter to an earlier commitment that no coercive steps would be taken until the next hearing.
“In light of the circumstances and the statement made by the then Advocate General, we instruct the State authorities not to proceed further against any parties until the next hearing,” the Court noted.
This ruling was issued in connection with a contempt petition filed by AIADMK Rajya Sabha MP IS Inbadurai, along with related review applications following a previous High Court order. Earlier, on February 20, the High Court had instructed the DVAC to file a criminal case based on inputs from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) concerning alleged widespread corruption within the Municipal Administration and Water Supply (MAWS) Department. The allegations include corruption in transfers, postings, and municipal contracts.
The High Court had criticized the then DMK-led State government for its delay in registering the case, emphasizing that the ED’s material revealed a cognizable offense. In response, the DMK government filed a review petition against this order.
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After the recent Assembly elections, a new regime led by Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) assumed power in May. On April 28, assurances were made in Court that no coercive measures would be taken for the time being. However, the latest order followed an assertion by a review applicant’s counsel that coercive actions were underway despite the Court’s April 28 directive.
On the same date, the Court had accepted an undertaking from the contempt petitioner’s counsel that the contempt proceedings would not escalate until the next hearing date, which was set for June 23.
On Friday, Senior Advocate V Raghavachari, representing Inbadurai, confirmed that the contempt petitioner had not escalated the proceedings. The Court acknowledged that the former Advocate General, representing the previous DMK government, had assured on April 28 that no coercive steps would be taken until the next hearing. However, current Advocate General Vijay Narayan, representing the TVK government, reported that an FIR had already been filed.
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Senior Advocate Vijay Narayan clarified that the State plans to withdraw one of the review applications and claimed unawareness of the previous Advocate General’s statement. He noted that without a formal stay on proceedings, the State continued its actions.
The Court confirmed the factual accuracy of this explanation and indicated that there would be no disadvantage to the State if proceedings were paused until the next hearing on June 23.
Senior Advocate Arvindh Pandian appeared for another review applicant, while Public Prosecutor John Sathiyan and Special Public Prosecutor N Ramesh represented the respondents. The case is scheduled for its next hearing on June 23.
