CHENNAI: A Chennai court permitted the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) to conduct further investigation into the alleged Rs 27.90-crore bribery case against former housing minister R Vaithilingam, and granted the agency three months to complete the probe and file a final report.
The order came on a protest petition filed by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) challenging the closure report that the DVAC had filed after Vaithilingam crossed over from the AIADMK to the then ruling DMK ruling DMK in January 2026.
When the central agency’s protest petition against the closure of a bribery case involving Vaithilingam came up for hearing, Principal Sessions Judge S Karthikeyan granted permission to DVAC to conduct further investigation, which should be completed in three months and a final report should be filed.
The ED challenged the closure report earlier filed by the DVAC in a case alleging that Vaithilingam, in his capacity as ex-officio chairman of the CMDA, received a bribe of Rs 27.90 crore from Shriram Properties and Infrastructure for granting planning permission for 1,453 additional dwelling units at a project in Perungalathur. The complaint was originally lodged by Arappor Iyakkam in 2022.
Based on the corruption case, the ED registered a money laundering case and subsequently filed a prosecution complaint before the Special Court under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). But after Vaithilingam joined the DMK in January this year, the DVAC filed a closure report citing lack of sufficient evidence.
The ED contended that the closure report overlooked crucial evidence and a documented money trail, and sought further investigation. Following the change of government in Tamil Nadu, the DVAC sought permission to withdraw the closure report and reopen the investigation, which the court has now allowed.