State not to revive commission to probe New Secretariat

Making the submission before Justice S M Subramaniam, who suspended the Commission, Advocate General Vijay Narayan, said, “We have no plan to revive the commission. All the files regarding the probe has been forwarded to the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC). The agency has to decide further course of action.”

The Advocate General made the submission in response to a query raised by the court, as to whether the state intends to appoint a new person to the commission, in view of resignation tendered by Justice Regupathy.

Justice Subramaniam on recording Advocate General’s submission, said that he would reiterate the interim order already passed and close the petition on Friday. However, he made it clear that the government should review the functioning of the other commissions and fix a time frame as directed in the interim order.

“We are not against appointment of commissions. The state has powers to do so but it should be used judiciously,” Justice Subramaniam said.

The Commission had come into being in June 2011. But in March 12, 2015 based on three separate pleas moved by former Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, then deputy Chief Minister M K Stalin and then PWD minister Duraimurugan challenging the commission’s proceedings, the high court passed an interim order staying its functioning.

However, Justice Subramaniam on being informed about the fact that the state had spent over Rs 2crore for the defunct commission for the past three years, slammed the State for wasting public money on a defunct commission and restrained it from allotting further funds. Subsequently, through another order on August 03, it suspended the commission. Following this, on August 17 Justice Regupathy resigned from the commission, alleging that the delay in the probe was due to the administrative lethargy of the Madras High Court’s registry.