Tamil Nadu Local Government Minister KN Nehru. File | Photo credit: The Hindu
A writ petition was filed in the Madras High Court on Friday (January 23, 2026) seeking the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) to register a First Information Report (FIR) regarding an alleged recruitment scam involving Municipal Administration Minister KN Nehru.
First Division Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Justice G Arul Murugan will hear a petition filed by All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) Rajya Sabha member IS Inbadurai based on materials allegedly collected by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
After naming the State Government, DVAC, Director General of Police, ED and Mr. Nehru as respondents to his writ petition, the Member of Parliament (MP) said that the ED conducted searches in various premises including the residence of Mr. Nehru’s brother N. Ravichandran in April 2025 and seized several materials.
The materials allegedly revealed widespread irregularities in the filling of 2,538 vacancies at various posts in the municipal administration and water supply department after receiving illegal gratification ranging from ₹25 to ₹35 crore from each of the aspiring candidates, the petitioner alleged.
“The ED has seized predetermined selection lists, call letters, electronic data and digital records from the premises and equipment of individuals involved in the recruitment process, which prima facie demonstrate the existence of systematic and organized dumping of money for work,” the petitioner’s affidavit read.
He said the ED also found that images of ₹10 notes were used as a token to identify and verify beneficiaries in the recruitment process. On October 27, 2025, the central agency sent a communication to the DGP seeking registration of an FIR related to the scam.
The ED has also attached about 232 pages of documents to its communication and a prima facie examination of these documents has revealed that at least 150 candidates were offered jobs through the intervention of persons close to the minister and hence the matter requires detailed investigation, the MP said.
The petitioner said that there are materials to prove that even before the official announcement of the results of the recruitment process, the selected individuals received the information about the result of the recruitment process on their WhatsApp numbers and therefore it was a clear case requiring immediate registration of an FIR.
He stated that he had sent a representation in this regard to DVAC on 13 December 2025; The MP sought directions to register an FIR on his representation and subsequently conduct a fair, impartial and time-bound investigation into the alleged offences.
Published – 22 Jan 2026 21:35 IST
