Madurai, Sept 30:
The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has directed the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) to conduct an inquiry into allegations of bribery in the appointment of government pleaders in Kanyakumari district.
The court was hearing a petition filed by Jeganraj of Kanyakumari district, who alleged that government law officers appointed in various trial courts had secured their posts by paying lakhs of rupees.
The petitioner produced audio and video recordings in support of the allegations. One recording allegedly showed a ruling party functionary negotiating with a woman lawyer over a pleader appointment, while another audio recording allegedly involved a person who was later appointed as a government pleader.
During the hearing, Justice Murugan questioned how government pleader posts could be treated as commodities for sale and expressed displeasure over the alleged delay in acting on the complaint.
The court observed that both giving and receiving bribes are offences and directed the DVAC to conduct a detailed investigation into the complaint. The petition was subsequently closed.