Chennai,Ā Oct 30:
The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) has seized 170 material evidences and 13 digital evidences during searches at 25 locations linked to senior DMK leader and former Tamil Nadu Municipal Administration Minister K.N. Nehru in connection with an alleged Rs 634-crore cash-for-jobs scam.
In a statement issued after the searches, the DVAC said the raids were conducted in Chennai, Tiruchy, Coimbatore, Namakkal and Tirunelveli districts as part of its investigation into alleged bribes collected for appointments in the Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department.
The agency said the evidence seized during the searches was connected to the alleged corrupt transactions. It added that the money collected for providing 2,538 appointments to various posts had been routed through hawala transactions. Further investigation is under way, the statement said.
The simultaneous searches were conducted on Thursday at 25 locations, including Nehru’s residence at Thillainagar in Tiruchy, properties in Chennai and the premises of his brother K.N. Ravichandran in the city and other districts.
The raids followed the Madras High Court’s dismissal of Nehru’s review petition on October 26, clearing the way for the DVAC to register a criminal case and investigate the allegations. The former Minister had approached the court seeking a review of its February 20, 2026 order directing the anti-corruption agency to register a case against him.
The allegations stem from information and a 232-page dossier shared by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) with the Tamil Nadu Director-General of Police in October 2025. The ED had alleged that Rs 634 crore was collected as bribes for appointments to 2,538 posts, including assistant engineers, junior engineers and town planning officers in the Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department during the previous DMK regime.
The issue came before the High Court following a petition filed by AIADMK MP I.S. Inbadurai, who sought a direction to register an FIR based on his representation dated December 13, 2025 and the material provided by the ED.
In February 2026, a Division Bench comprising then Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Justice G. Arul Murugan had directed the DVAC to register a corruption case against Nehru. The court observed that the material shared by the ED disclosed a prima facie case involving cognisable offences and that the agency could not keep the matter pending through a prolonged preliminary enquiry.
Appearing for the State, Advocate General Vijay Narayan had submitted that the ED had forwarded its communication along with supporting documents, but no action had been taken during the previous regime. He also informed the court that a notice had been issued to Nehru, giving him an opportunity to respond to the allegations, but he had not availed himself of the opportunity.