Madras HC Pulls Up TN Anti-Corruption Watchdog for 'Changing Stance' as Per Party in Power

New Delhi: The Madras high court has come down heavily on the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-corruption (DVAC), calling it a "chameleon" changing colours depending on which political party is in power in Tamil Nadu, Deccan Herald reported.

The court made the comments on Thursday, August 31, after deciding to take suo motu revision of a 2012 local court order that had permitted DVAC to withdraw a disproportionate assets (DA) case against former chief minister O. Panneerselvam, a year after his All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) party came to power in the state.

Justice Anand Venkatesh has also decided to review the local court order of 2012 which had also discharged three Dravid Muuentra Kazhagam (DMK) ministers K. Ponmudy, K.K. S.S.R. Ramachandran, and Thangam Thennarasu from disproportionate asset cases along with Pannerselvam. Tamil Nadu's anti-corruption watchdog, DVAC, had filed the case against Pannerselvam in 2006, and the charge sheet in the case was filed in 2009 after the DMK came to power.

Stating that DVAC has turned out to be a "chameleon", Justice Venkatesh said, "Unfortunately, courts have also acted in tandem," he said, adding that the court will be failing in its constitutional duty if it "closes its eyes to such systemic failure".

This is the fourth time in a month that the high court has pulled up DVAC. Last week, the high court had said "something is very rotten" in the Special Court for MP/MLA Cases at Sriviliputhur, while taking up suo motu revision of cases involving Ramachandran and Thennarasu.

Coming down heavily on the DVAC officials, the judge observed that they had changed their stance after 2021, the year when the DMK assumed power after defeating AIADMK in the state.

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