DVAC files FIR over cash-for-jobs complaint in Municipal Administration Department during K.N. Nehru’s tenure

Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription

The View From India Looking at World Affairs from the Indian perspective.

First Day First Show News and reviews from the world of cinema and streaming.

Today's Cache Your download of the top 5 technology stories of the day.

Data Point Decoding the headlines with facts, figures, and numbers

Health Matters Ramya Kannan writes to you on getting to good health, and staying there

The Hindu On Books Books of the week, reviews, excerpts, new titles and features.

Former Municipal Administration Minister K.N. Nehru. File | Photo Credit: S. Siva Saravanan

The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) on Friday (June 5, 2026) informed the Madras High Court of having registered a First Information Report (FIR) regarding the cash-for-jobs complaint in the Municipal Administration and Water Supply (MAWS) department during the tenure of former Minister K.N. Nehru of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK).

Appearing before the first Division Bench of Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G. Arul Murugan, Advocate General Vijay Narayan said, the DVAC had registered the FIR on Friday after obtaining his legal opinion on the matter. The submission was made pursuant to an urgent mention made before the Bench by senior counsel P.H. Arvindh Pandian representing Mr. Nehru.

Though two review petitions and a contempt-of-court petition related to the matter were slated to be listed for hearing next only on June 23, the A-G said, Mr. Nehru’s counsel had chosen to make a mention on Friday “probably because they had some advance information.” The A-G highlighted that the High Court, on February 20, 2026, directed the DVAC to register the FIR “forthwith.”

Nevertheless, the DVAC did not obey the court order and the then DMK government went to the extent of filing a review petition against it. Mr. Narayan said, the present government, led by Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), does not intend to proceed with the review petition and the office of the government counsel (criminal side) shall make an endorsement for withdrawing the State’s review petition.

This would leave the court with just the review petition filed by Mr. Nehru, in his individual capacity, and a contempt-of-court petition filed by All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) Rajya Sabha member I.S. Inbadurai, against the DVAC officials, on whose writ petition the court had ordered the registration of the FIR forthwith, the A-G said.

On going through the records rel