Supreme Court halts order on plea against Tamil Nadu sanitation scheme
The Supreme Court halted a recent order by the Madras High Court in a case filed by YouTuber Savukku Shankar against a government sanitation scheme. The top court questioned the urgency with which the high court heard and disposed of the matter during court vacation. The case pertains to Shankar's petition challenging the Tamil Nadu government's 'Sanipreneur' scheme.The development occurred during the hearing of a Special Leave Petition filed by the Dalit Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DICCI) and a private firm, Gengreen Logistics, before a Bench led by the Chief Justice. Savukku Shankar was represented by counsel, who responded to the court's pointed query about the 'grave urgency' in rushing through the matter without giving other parties a chance to be heard. The Supreme Court permitted DICCI and Gengreen Logistics to file impleading applications and directed that the High Court's order would remain in abeyance until both parties were impleaded and allowed to file counters.advertisementThe dispute traces back to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Shankar in the Madras High Court, where he alleged corruption in the Sanipreneur scheme. The programme, short for Sanitation Entrepreneurs, is a Tamil Nadu government initiative aimed at eradicating manual scavenging by engaging former manual scavengers as sanitation contractors using machines and modern equipment. Shankar contended that the scheme had been outsourced improperly to a private firm.The Madras High Court, while hearing the PIL, had questioned the Tamil Nadu government on whether Veeramani Radhakrishnan, the nephew of Tamil Nadu Congress president Selvaperunthagai, was indeed a director of Gengreen Logistics, the firm now facing corruption allegations. The High Court also granted the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) time till May 21 to submit full details of the scheme.advertisementIn a statement to India Today, Shankar had alleged: 'The Tamil Nadu government has adequate resources to implement any scheme on its own. It does not require the services of any private firm. However, it strangely chose a private company to implement the 'Sanipreneur' scheme.'He had further claimed that DICCI president Ravi Kumar Nara and Veeramani Radhakrishnan had started Gengreen Logistics specifically for the purpose of securing contracts under the scheme. 'The entire Sanipreneur scheme appears to be a scam. The so-called beneficiaries are not genuine and are reportedly members of the Congress party's SC/ST wing,' he had said.Shankar has also demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the matter.
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