DVAC raids former Tamil Nadu minister E.V. Velu in road contract corruption case
The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) has registered a case against former State Highways Minister E.V. Velu and conducted searches at multiple locations in connection with alleged corruption in road construction contracts. The action is the first major crackdown since the Tamil Nadu government led by the newly elected party came to power.
The case stems from a complaint filed in 2022 by Jayaram Venkatesan of Arappor Iyakkam, an anti-corruption NGO. The complaint alleged that several crores of rupees were paid to contractors in March 2022 for works that were never executed, with the collusion of Highways Department officials and contractors. The DVAC invoked charges of criminal conspiracy, forgery, cheating, and provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. The state government granted permission to proceed on June 23, 2026.
According to the complaint, under the Comprehensive Road Infrastructure Development Programme, funds were misused. In the Tiruppur circle alone, ₹3.23 crore out of a sanctioned ₹4.19 crore was paid without any work being done. Four officials were suspended following an earlier complaint by former AIADMK minister M.R. Vijayabhaskar in April 2022. However, the complainant alleged that instead of pursuing criminal action, police provided security for the contractor to lay roads overnight on April 8, 2022, potentially destroying evidence.
The DVAC's FIR states that prima facie materials indicate the accused entered into a criminal conspiracy to cheat the government. Besides Mr. Velu, the agency named nine officials from the Highways Department in Karur, Coimbatore, Tiruchi, and Chennai, as well as contractor Sankaran Infra. Searches were conducted in Karur, Erode, and Kancheepuram districts.
In response, DMK president and former Chief Minister M.K. Stalin said Mr. Velu is cooperating with the raids and will prove his innocence legally. Stalin alleged the case is driven by political vendetta, noting that no corruption charges during the DMK's previous tenure have been proven in court. He stated, 'The DMK is not a movement that will be cowed by these threats. We have seen much greater oppression than this.'
