Today, the Madras High Court has directed the state’s anti-corruption agency, the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC), to immediately register a case in the alleged “cash-for-jobs” scam in the Municipal Administration Department, involving Minister KN Nehru, his associates and his brothers.

The order comes barely weeks ahead of the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections and follows petitions seeking action based on material shared by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The ED has alleged large-scale bribery in recruitment and transfer postings in the department headed by the minister.

In a strongly worded order delivered on Tuesday, the court said the material forwarded by the ED disclosed cognisable offences that required immediate registration of an FIR. The bench noted that the credibility or reasonableness of information is not a precondition for registering a case, stressing that early FIR filing is essential to prevent later manipulation of evidence.

While dismissing one petition filed as a public interest litigation due to doubts over the petitioner’s bona fides, the court allowed the connected plea seeking registration of a case based on the ED’s inputs. It underlined that investigative agencies are bound to act when serious allegations are backed by documentary material.

According to the ED, bribes ranging from ₹25 lakh to ₹35 lakh were allegedly taken for appointments to posts such as assistant engineers, junior engineers and town planning officers. Searches conducted in a separate probe allegedly yielded documents and electronic records, including predetermined selection lists, suggesting a systematic recruitment racket. The agency informed the court that it had shared 232 pages of material with the police under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

KN Nehru has denied the allegations, calling them politically motivated and stating that he would contest the case legally. The order has sparked political reactions, with actor-politician Vijay demanding the minister’s resignation and urging Chief Minister MK Stalin to remove him from the Cabinet if he does not step down.

With the High Court mandating registration of the case, the DVAC’s next steps will be closely watched as the controversy adds to the political heat ahead of the elections.