DVAC ropes in AIADMK MLA S.P. Velumani again as accused in corporation contract irregularities case

The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) has again roped in incumbent Thondamuthur AIADMK MLA and former Minister S.P. Velmunani as an accused in the ₹98.25 crore corporation contract irregularities case reported during his tenure as Municipal Administration Minister between 2014 and 2018.

In an additional affidavit filed before Justice N. Anand Venkatesh of the Madras High Court and served upon anti-corruption organisation Arappor Iyakkam’s counsel V. Suresh, the DVAC said, Legislative Assembly Speaker M. Appavu had granted sanction on February 12, 2024 to prosecute Mr. Velumani.

A Division Bench of the High Court had on November 30, 2022 quashed the First Information Report (FIR) with respect to Mr. Velumani alone but gave liberty to the DVAC to include him as an accused in the charge sheet if the agency succeeds in collecting sufficient materials against him during investigation.

Then, the Bench comprising Justices P.N. Prakash and R.M.T. Teekaa Raman (both since retired) had observed the FIR registered in 2021, on Arappor Iyakkam’s complaint, was primarily the result of a colourable exercise of power after the DMK assumed power in Tamil Nadu.

Further, observing the FIR had been booked without there being any prima facie material against the former Minister, the Bench had said, the DVAC had not gathered any evidence to suspect that the corporation contracts were awarded at the instance of the then Minister.

“There is a general perception that politicians are corrupt. To say, since there is a perception that all politicians are corrupt, SPV (the former Minister) must also be presumed to be corrupt is a far fetched thesis that simply does not appeal,” the Division Bench had written in 2022.

However, since the Bench had given liberty to the investigating agency to rope in the former Minister in the charge sheet if it succeeds in collecting sufficient materials against him during the course of investigation, the DVAC had thereafter obtained sanction to prosecute Mr. Velumani too.

Filing the additional affidavit, in response to a contempt plea filed by Arappor Iyakkam’s Jayaram Venkatesan for the delay in filing charge sheet, DVAC Superintendent of Police (SP) Dongare Pravin Umesh said, the case pertained to irregularities in awarding Greater Chennai and Coimbatore Corporation contracts.

The three allegations

There were three main allegations. One was the irregularities in relaying of bus route roads, the other was regarding the irregularities in the supply of drivers, cleaners and tipper lorries for garbage clearance and the third was manipulation of tender conditions for outsourcing 302 staff nurses for urban primary health centres.

Stating three different charge sheets have been filed before a special court for MP/MLA cases along with voluminous documents, the SP said, the charge sheets were returned on multiple occassions for rectifying certain defects and they had been re-presented after rectification of those defects.

Further, Mr. Umesh said, the Assembly Speaker had granted sanction in February 2024 for prosecuting Mr. Velumani and the State government had granted sanction to prosecute a host of officials who had served as chief engineer, superintending engineer and so on in the two corporations.

Justice Venkatesh was also informed that the Centre was yet to grant sanction to prosecute IAS officers K.S. Kandasamy and K. Vijayakarthikeyan despite sending reminders. After taking the additional counter affidavit on file, the judge adjourned the contempt plea for further hearing to September 12, 2025.