The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) recently updated the Madras High Court on the significant hurdles delaying the prosecution of two prominent IAS officers. The core issue, as reported on Friday, September 19, 2025, stems from a new Central government mandate, implemented in 2024, requiring the translation of all vernacular documents when seeking sanction to prosecute IAS officers for criminal offenses. This procedural change has dramatically slowed progress in a corruption case targeting former AIADMK Minister S.P. Velumani.
Additional Public Prosecutor (APP) E. Raj Thilak elaborated before Justice N. Anand Venkatesh that the case against Mr. Velumani and other involved parties includes an staggering 41,000 pages of documents. The sheer volume of material necessitating translation has caused a substantial hold-up in securing the necessary prosecution sanctions.
This critical update was provided during the hearing of a contempt of court petition lodged by Jayaram Venkatesan from the anti-corruption organization, Arappor Iyakkam.
Advocate S. Tanvi, representing the petitioner, highlighted that the original complaint against the former Minister, the IAS officers, and others dates back to alleged irregularities in contract awards by the Greater Chennai and Coimbatore Corporations between 2014 and 2018, during Mr. Velumani’s tenure as Municipal Administration Minister.
Despite the FIR being registered in 2021 and investigations concluding within a couple of years—confirming a substantial loss of ₹98.25 crore to the public exchequer due to these irregularities—the DVAC has yet to finalize all necessary prosecution approvals. While sanction to prosecute Mr. Velumani was reportedly secured from Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly Speaker M. Appavu on February 12, 2024, the DVAC is still awaiting approval from the Centre to proceed against IAS officers K.S. Kandasamy and K. Vijaya Karthikeyan.
The court also noted that while charge-sheets have been filed for two of the primary allegations—irregularities in relaying bus route roads and the fraudulent supply of drivers, cleaners, and tipper lorries for garbage clearance—the investigation into a third charge remains incomplete. This third charge involves the alleged manipulation of tender conditions for outsourcing 302 staff nurses for urban primary health centers. The counsel for the petitioner insisted that the DVAC must account for this prolonged delay.
Following the arguments from both sides, Justice N. Anand Venkatesh instructed the High Court Registry to schedule the contempt of court petition for a final hearing next month, signaling continued judicial oversight of this high-profile case.