Madras High Court Questions Tamil Nadu Government's Inaction on Corruption Cases
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Chennai, Dec 16 (NationPress) The Madras High Court has expressed its strong disapproval of the Tamil Nadu government for its sluggish response in tackling corruption allegations and misappropriation issues involving state government employees.
A division bench consisting of Justices S.M. Subramaniam and M. Jothiraman noted on Monday that despite numerous complaints, even fundamental services were being withheld from the public due to corruption.
The court underlined the extensive complaints regarding corruption permeating various state government departments, including uniformed services.
The bench instructed the Tamil Nadu Home Secretary to provide a response by January 6, 2025, outlining the government’s position and actions taken against these claims.
Justice Subramaniam remarked: “It is disheartening to see that underprivileged individuals have to pay thousands of rupees in bribes just to secure nativity certificates, patta, and other crucial documents. If government employees receive their salaries and allowances punctually, why should the underprivileged bear this burden?”
The court further probed whether the state government was adequately supervising and regulating the conduct of uniformed personnel. It sought clarification on whether suitable measures were being implemented against police and prison department officials for negligence, dereliction of duty, and misuse of authority.
These observations arose during the hearing of a writ petition asserting that prisoners had not been compensated for several months.
The petitioner’s representatives, M. Radhakrishnan and P. Pugalenthi, highlighted various corrupt practices allegedly taking place within the prison department.
In response to the court’s inquiries, Additional Public Prosecutor (APP) R. Muniyapparaj stated that the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) had filed a First Information Report (FIR) on December 12, 2024, concerning the misappropriation of Rs. 1.63 crore by officials at Madurai Central Prison from 2019 to 2021.
The APP indicated that the FIR implicated former Superintendent of Prison M. Urmila (currently in Cuddalore), jailor S. Vasanthakannan (now serving as Additional Superintendent in Palayamkottai), Administrative Officer M. Thiyagarajan (now in Vellore), and eight others.
The APP explained that the delay in filing the FIR stemmed from challenges in acquiring necessary information from various governmental departments.
This explanation was a response to the court’s frustration regarding the prolonged delay in FIR registration.
Expressing dissatisfaction with the slow progress of investigations into cases involving the misappropriation of public funds by government employees, the court mandated the Home Secretary to tackle the issue and submit a detailed report by January 6, 2025.
