ED alleges Rs 1,020 cr tender scam, Seeks FIR against Minister KN Nehru

The Enforcement Directorate accused Municipal Administration Minister KN Nehru of masterminding a Rs 1,020 crore bribery racket through tender manipulations in Tamil Nadu’s civic and water supply departments, demanding police register an FIR to launch money laundering probes. In a 258-page dossier sent December 3 to the Chief Secretary, DGP, and DVAC under PMLA Section 66(2), ED cited April raids yielding digital evidence of contractors paying 7.5-10% of contract values as “party funds” to Nehru’s associates via rigged tenders. WhatsApp chats from aides’ phones detailed bribes from projects like toilets, sanitation outsourcing, NABARD schemes, sweeper housing, village roads, and lake works, with officials allegedly skimming 20-25% at approval stages. This marks ED’s second letter after October 27’s alert on cash-for-jobs scams, where candidates paid Rs 25-35 lakh for engineer posts. ED warned non-registration aids accused, invoking Supreme Court precedents, amid prior refusals forcing PMLA reliance on shared evidence. Opposition demands Nehru’s resignation as 2026 polls near, while DMK dismisses probes as BJP vendetta. Earlier ED invoked Section 66(2) for sand mining scams without FIRs. Meanwhile, KN Nehru brushed off the Enforcement Directorate’s second notice to Tamil Nadu’s Chief Secretary and DGP, stating “there’s nothing in it” and he would personally manage the matter. The remarks came during a DMK district secretaries’ meeting at Kalaignar Arivalayam under the “En Vakkuchavadi, Vetri Vakkuchavadi” banner, where Chief Minister MK Stalin addressed via video conference. Nehru spoke to local leaders before fielding reporters’ questions on the ED summons linked to alleged tender irregularities.