Chennai: Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) has booked former municipal administration minister K N Nehru and 12 others on Sept 4, accusing them of manipulating govt tenders and collecting illegal gratification in the name of “party fund” between 2021 and 2025.
The special investigation cell of DVAC registered the case at its headquarters in Chennai, based on a 258-page report submitted by Enforcement Directorate in Dec 2025. The report alleged that contracts under municipal administration, urban and water supply (MAWS) department were manipulated, causing wrongful gain of ₹1,020 crore to the accused.
Another set of records referred to 155.79 lakh collected under contracts in the Tiruppur region.
The accused entered into a criminal conspiracy to manipulate tenders and identify preferred contractors before bids were opened, according to the DVAC enquiry. It alleged that contractors paid illegal gratification ranging from 7.5% to 10% of contract values in the name of “party fund”. DVAC said the material collected during the detailed enquiry prima facie disclosed offences, including criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust, cheating, and criminal misconduct, under the IPC, the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The inquiry also cited records referring to payments involving officials in Coimbatore and Tiruppur.