TN Vigilance dept moves SC against Madras HC order on corruption case against SP Velumani – India Today

The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti Corruption (DVAC) Tamil Nadu has moved the Supreme Court challenging Madras High Court’s September 7 order in former Minister SP Velumani’s case.

The state government had raised objections to the Chief Justice’s bench hearing Velumani’s criminal case which sought quashing of FIRs against him in a corruption case. The Madras HC had dismissed the state’s plea.

It was the state’s case that instead of the Chief Justice, a challenge to a FIR should be heard by a Single-judge Bench, or a Division Bench that was assigned to hear cases against sitting MPs and MLAs. The HC had held that there was no merit to this argument, after which the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti Corruption moved the Supreme Court.

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The Supreme Court today agreed to grant urgent listing after a request was made by Senior advocate Kapil Sibal. A bench led by the CJI UU Lalit directed the case to be listed tomorrow before an appropriate bench.

Sibal today told the bench that the HC’s bench headed by the Chief Justice, on the original side, decided to take up a criminal petition.

“It is disturbing what I see,” he remarked.