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Highway deals: State told to file report on panels formed
The DMK’s plea against the award of highway contracts to Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami’s kin took a different twist on Monday with the State making a submission in the Madras High Court that even if there were violations in the contracts awarded, it would at best be a civil liability and can be easily rectified.
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Chennai
The DMK’s plea against the award of highway contracts to Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami’s kin took a different twist on Monday with the State making a submission in the Madras High Court that even if there were violations in the contracts awarded, it would at best be a civil liability and can be easily rectified.
Advocate General Vijay Narayan, on presenting in a sealed cover, the preliminary enquiry conducted by the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption to Justice AD Jagdish Chandira hearing the case, argued that even assuming there was violation in the highway contracts issued, there cannot be any criminal proceedings as it is only a civil matter.
But Senior Counsel NR Elango, appearing for the DMK, on citing conflict of interest, contended that contrary to World Bank guidelines that persons related to any of the committee members should not be awarded any contract, the incumbent Chief Minister, who is the Chairman of the empowered committee, awarded contracts to his kin. Quoting IPC sections, Elango argued that even if there was ground for civil action, criminality prevails.
While the government took the stand that the said contractor has been in business since 1991 and had become the CM’s son’s father-in-law recently and hence is not new to the highway contract business, Justice Jagdish Chandira sought to know how many persons participated in the tender process and the number of committees formed ahead of awarding the contracts.
The AG, on noting that it was a single tender obtained online, pointed out that as many as 281 contracts awarded across governments had been single tenders. But as the AG said that as far as he knows only a steering committee existed and that the empowering committee would be formed only after the work starts, the judge directed him to file a report by next Monday on the number of committees that were formed ahead of awarding the contracts and the members who were a part of it. He then posted the case for further hearing to Wednesday.
The judge, during the hearing, noted that he would open the sealed cover about the preliminary probe only after receiving the details of the committee.
Tender Trouble
- Advocate General Vijay Narayan presents in a sealed cover, the preliminary enquiry conducted by DVAC to Justice AD Jagdish Chandira
- Senior Counsel NR Elango, appearing for the DMK, contended that contrary to World Bank guidelines, the CM awarded contracts to his kin
- Elango argued that even if there was ground for civil action, criminality prevails
- Justice Jagdish Chandira seeks details of how many people participated in the tender process
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