High Court Rejects Review Petition

The Madras High Court has firmly dismissed a review petition filed by former Tamil Nadu minister KN Nehru, challenging the court's earlier directive to register a formal case into alleged bribery within the Municipal Administration and Water Supply (MAWS) Department during the previous DMK administration.

A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G Arul Murugan rejected the plea, dismissing arguments that the initial February 20 order had been passed without extending a proper opportunity to be heard. Following the court's earlier mandate, the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) officially registered a criminal case.

The Origin of the Investigation

The corruption allegations center around a cash-for-jobs racket concerning 2,538 government posts within the MAWS department, including assistant engineers, junior engineers, and town planning officers. According to Enforcement Directorate (ED) findings, bribes ranging between Rs 25 lakh and Rs 35 lakh were allegedly extracted from applicants seeking government employment.

The central agency uncovered the network during unrelated raids on the premises of KN Ravichandran, the brother of KN Nehru, amid an ongoing bank fraud probe. Investigators reportedly recovered incriminating digital records, WhatsApp chat logs, official call letters, and pre-finalized selection lists indicating widespread manipulation of the recruitment process.

Evidence and Legal Stance

Investigators pointed to material involving at least 147 candidates whose call letters were circulated prior to the completion of official testing phases. Furthermore, forensic teams recovered records showing the use of specific currency notes in hawala transaction communications to track and verify illicit payments.

After compiling the dossier, the ED transferred the findings to the Tamil Nadu police under Section 66(2) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The High Court determined that the disclosed evidence was robust enough to warrant a comprehensive criminal investigation.

In its dismissal order, the Bench clarified that the directive to investigate did not amount to a judicial declaration of guilt.

"The Court did not, and at that stage could not, decide anyone's guilt," the Bench observed. "A direction to register an FIR is not a finding against anyone. It only starts the process of investigation."

Mr. Nehru has continuously denied all allegations, dismissing the legal actions as politically motivated moves by opposition forces.