Ex-DMK Minister Moorthy Challenges Nirmalkumar to Prove Bribery Allegations

Former Registration Minister P. Moorthy of the DMK has called on Law Minister R. Nirmalkumar to provide evidence for allegations that bribes were collected in the Registration Department during the previous DMK administration. Speaking to reporters in Madurai, Moorthy said the minister should specify the Sub-Registrar offices, survey numbers, and registration documents where a 20% commission was allegedly collected on his behalf.

Nirmalkumar, who also holds the Electricity portfolio, has repeatedly claimed that Moorthy placed his associates in registration offices across the state to collect commissions on property registrations. Moorthy denied this, saying he only interacted with senior officials and never spoke to any of the 589 Sub-Registrars. He offered to face an inquiry and noted that revenue from the Registration Department rose from ₹10,000 crore in 2021 to ₹25,000 crore in 2026 under the DMK regime.

Moorthy also questioned the registration of a land transfer involving Sri Dhandayuthapani Swamy Temple in Palani, pointing out that temple lands are marked as prohibited for such transactions. He urged Nirmalkumar to focus on ensuring uninterrupted power supply instead of making what he termed baseless allegations.

Referring to Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay's claims that there is no bribery in government offices under the TVK government, Moorthy said DVAC surprise inspections have seized bribes worth lakhs of rupees from various offices, contradicting the government's stance. He also cited corruption allegations raised by a TVK woman functionary over a Government Pleader appointment. Moorthy noted that despite the government's promise to increase free power from 100 to 200 units, tariffs have actually risen.