Chief Justice Munishwar Nath Bhandari and Justice N Mala rejected a plea for interim stay. They directed Advocate General R Shunmugasundaram, representing Directorate of Vigilance and Anti Corruption, to file a counter affidavit to the FIR quash petition within three weeks.
Senior Counsel N R Elango representing DMK’s R S Bharathi and advocate V. Suresh, representing anti corruption outfit Arappor Iyakkam, were also given time to file their counter affidavits. Bharthi and the NGO had approached the court in 2018 for registration of a case against the Minister.
Then, the court appointed Superintendent of Police R. Ponni to probe into the complaints of irregularities in award of contracts by Greater Chennai and Coimbatore corporations during the AIADMK regime and find out whether any cognisable offence had been made out.