Madras HC questions TN govt on slow action in corruption cases

Chennai, Dec 16 (IANS) The Madras High Court has strongly criticised the Tamil Nadu government for its slow action in addressing corruption charges and misappropriation cases involving state government employees.

A division bench comprising Justices S.M. Subramaniam and M. Jothiraman remarked on Monday that despite numerous complaints, even basic services were not being provided to the public without the involvement of corruption.

The court highlighted widespread complaints of corruption across state government departments, including uniformed services.

The bench directed the Tamil Nadu Home Secretary to respond by January 6, 2025, detailing the government’s stance and actions against these allegations.

Justice Subramaniam observed: “It is painful to note that poor people have to shell out thousands of rupees as bribe money just to obtain nativity certificates, patta, and other essential documents. When government employees receive their salaries and allowances on time, why should the poor suffer?”

The court further questioned whether the state government was effectively monitoring and controlling the actions of uniformed personnel. It sought clarity on whether appropriate action was being taken against police and prison department officials for lapses, dereliction of duty, and abuse of power.

These observations were made during the hearing of a writ petition that alleged prisoners had not been paid wages for several months.

The petitioner’s counsel, M. Radhakrishnan and P. Pugalenthi brought to the court’s attention multiple corrupt practices allegedly occurring in the prison department.

Responding to the court’s queries, Additional Public Prosecutor (APP) R. Muniyapparaj informed that the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) had registered a First Information Report (FIR) on December 12, 2024, regarding the misappropriation of Rs. 1.63 crore by officials at Madurai Central Prison between 2019 and 2021.

The APP stated that the FIR named former Superintendent of Prison M. Urmila (currently serving in Cuddalore), jailor S. Vasanthakannan (now Additional Superintendent in Palayamkottai), Administrative Officer M. Thiyagarajan (currently in Vellore), and eight others.

The APP explained that the delay in registering the FIR was due to difficulties in obtaining necessary information from various government departments.

This response was prompted by the court’s dissatisfaction with the prolonged delay in filing the FIR.

Expressing displeasure over the slow progress of investigations into cases involving the misappropriation of public funds by government servants, the court directed the Home Secretary to address the issue and provide a comprehensive response by January 6, 2025.

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