Tamil Nadu Municipal Administration Minister K.N. Nehru. File
| Photo Credit: The Hindu
A writ petition seeking a direction to the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti Corruption (DVAC) to register a First Information Report (FIR) regarding the alleged recruitment scam involving Municipal Administration Minister K.N. Nehru has been listed for hearing before the Madras High Court on Friday (January 23, 2026).
First Division Bench of Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Justice G. Arul Murugan would be hearing the petition filed by All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) Rajya Sabha member member I.S. Inbadurai on the basis of the materials reportedly collected by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED).
After listing out the State government, DVAC, Director General of Police, the ED and Mr. Nehru as respondents to his writ petition, the Member of Parliament (MP) said, the ED had in April 2025 conducted searches at various premises including the residence of Mr. Nehru’s brother N. Ravichandran and seized several materials.
The materials reportedly disclosed large scale irregularities in the filling up of 2,538 vacancies for various posts in the Municipal Administration and Water Supply department on receipt of illegal gratification ranging from ₹25 to ₹35 lakh from each of the aspiring candidates, the petitioner claimed.
“The ED had seized pre-determined selection lists, call letters, electronic data and and digital records from the premises and devices of individuals involved in the recruitment process which prima facie demonstrate the existence of a systematic and organised ‘cash for jobs’ racket,” the petitioner’s affidavit read.
He said, the ED had also discovered that images of ₹10 currency notes had been used as a token for identification and verification of the beneficiaries in the recruitment process. The central agency had sent a communication to the DGP on October 27, 2025 requesting registration of a FIR regarding the scam.
The ED had also annexed documents, running to about 232 pages, to its communication and an examination of those documents prima facie reveal that at least 150 candidates had been offered jobs through the intervention of individuals close to the Minister and hence the issue requires a detailed investigation, the MP said.
The petitioner said, there were materials to prove that even before the official declaration of the results of the recruitment process, select individuals had received information regarding the outcome of the recruitment process on their WhatsApp numbers and hence it was a clear case requiring registration of a FIR forthwith.
Stating he had sent a representation in this regard to the DVAC on December 13, 2025; the MP sought a direction to register a FIR on the basis of his representation and then conduct a fair, impartial and time bound investigation into the alleged offences.
Published – January 22, 2026 09:35 pm IST
