Chennai HC hears appointment scam case, refuses to order registration of case against minister

Tamil Nadu: The Chennai High Court on Tuesday clarified that it had not issued any direct order to register a case against Minister K.N. Nehru in connection with the alleged appointment scam in the Municipal Administration and Drinking Water Supply Department. The court stated that a misunderstanding had arisen regarding the interpretation of its previous order.

The case relates to the recruitment of 2,538 posts—including assistant engineers, junior engineers, and health inspectors—in Tamil Nadu. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had sent a letter to the Director General of Police of Tamil Nadu Police alleging widespread corruption in the recruitment process and suspected bribery and hawala transactions amounting to approximately ₹634 crore.

Based on this letter, AIADMK MP I.S. Inbadurai filed a petition in the Chennai High Court, seeking a direction to the Director General of Police to register a case against Minister K.N. Nehru and other individuals involved. On February 20, the High Court issued an order stating that the Anti-Corruption Department should investigate and take appropriate action based on the ED’s letter.

Subsequently, Inbadurai filed a contempt petition in the court over the alleged delay in complying with the order, alleging that the Anti-Corruption Department had not complied with the court’s instructions. Meanwhile, separate petitions were filed by the Tamil Nadu government and Minister K.N. Nehru seeking a review of the order.

On Tuesday, the matter was heard before a bench comprising Chief Justice S.A. Dharmadhikari and Justice G. Arulmurugan. Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing Minister K.N. Nehru, argued that his client was not given an opportunity to be heard before passing any order against him, which was against the principles of natural justice.

Senior advocate V. Raghavachari, representing the petitioner, argued that the Enforcement Directorate’s report clearly stated that Minister K.N. Serious allegations have been made against Nehru and his family members, making an investigation necessary.

During the hearing, the court clarified that its earlier order had been misinterpreted and that no direction was given to file a suo motu case against the minister. The court, after hearing all parties, decided to proceed with the legal process.

This case has sparked heated debate in political and administrative circles, as it involves allegations of a recruitment scam and major financial transactions. All eyes are now on the next court hearing.