SC adjourns hearing on plea seeking fresh probe against former TN CM Palaniswami in highway tender scam

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday adjourned hearing on a plea filed against the Madras High Court order refusing to direct a fresh probe against former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K. Palaniswami (EPS) in connection with an alleged highway tender scam.

A bench of Justices Aniruddha Bose and Bela M. Trivedi deferred hearing on plea till October 17 and decided to take up the matter on a non-miscellaneous day.

As per the Supreme Court rules, days other than Monday and Friday are classified as non-miscellaneous days in the top court, when regular hearing is undertaken by different benches.

The Tamil Nadu Director of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) has filed the special leave petition against the decision of the state High Court closing the petition filed by DMK leader R.S. Bharathi. The petition alleged that the AIADMK General Secretary, when he was Chief Minister, had awarded contracts in the highway department based on favouritism resulting in heavy losses to the exchequer.

On July 18 this year, a bench of Justice N. Anand Venkatesh of the High Court observed that there was no infirmity in the preliminary investigation conducted by the DVAC in 2018 and dismissed the petition saying that no further investigation was required after a change in regime.

Earlier in 2022, the Supreme Court had set aside a decision of the Madras High court ordering a CBI probe into the alleged Rs 4,800 crore corruption case.

–IANS