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The Hindu
19-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Supreme Court grants interim relief to DICCI in sanitation scheme case
The Supreme Court on Monday (May 19, 2025) granted interim relief to the Dalit Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (DICCI) in connection with a case alleging corruption by the body in the implementation of a scheme for the welfare of sanitation workers and the Dalit community in Tamil Nadu. A Bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) BR Gavai and Justice A.G. Masih kept in abeyance an order passed by the high court in connection with the implementation of the Annal Ambedkar Business Champions Scheme (AABCS). The top court also asked the high court to consider the impleadment of DICCI, so that they get an opportunity to be heard before any decision was taken in the case. 'Let the present petitioners [DICCI] be impleaded as respondents. Let the high court consider the application and let an order be passed after hearing all parties. Till such an order is passed, let the impugned order be kept in abeyance,' the top court ordered. The brief hearing saw the Bench question the urgency with which the high court had taken up the petition filed by activist Savukku Shankar during the court's vacation and passed the interim order which came under challenge. Mr. Shankar had sought a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into allegations of diversion of funds.
United News of India
19-05-2025
- Business
- United News of India
SC grants interim relief to DICCI in graft charges linked to TN scheme
New Delhi, May 19 (UNI) The Supreme Court on Monday granted interim relief to the Dalit Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (DICCI) in a case pending before the Madras High Court, which alleges corruption in the execution of the Tamil Nadu government's Annal Ambedkar Business Champions Scheme (AABCS). A bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) BR Gavai and Justice AG Masih stayed an interim order passed by the high court last week and directed that DICCI be impleaded as a party to the proceedings. 'Let the present petitioners (DICCI) be impleaded as respondents. Let the high court consider the application and pass an order after hearing all parties. Till such an order is passed, let this order be kept in abeyance,' the Supreme Court ordered. The court further directed that the high court must hear DICCI before taking any further steps in the case. The DICCI was not initially a party in the high court proceedings, which are next scheduled for hearing on May 21. During the hearing, the Supreme Court also questioned the urgency with which the high court took up the matter during its summer vacation. 'What was the urgency that the court took this up on vacation?' CJI Gavai asked. The case in question was initiated through a public interest litigation (PIL) by YouTuber Savukku Shankar, who alleged that the AABCS scheme was arbitrarily and illegally entrusted to DICCI. He further claimed that DICCI leaders had links to Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) president and MLA K Selvaperunthagai, and that the scheme's benefits were diverted to those politically connected instead of the intended Dalit beneficiaries. Shankar has sought a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the matter, alleging misappropriation and political favoritism. The PIL is being heard by a vacation bench of the Madras High Court comprising Justices GR Swaminathan and V Lakshminarayanan. On May 14, the High Court had issued notice to the State and impleaded several government departments, including the Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department, the MSME Department, and the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB). The court had also directed the production of relevant documents. On May 16, additional advocate general J Ravindran, appearing for the Municipal Administration Department, sought more time to furnish documents. Both AAG Ravindran and Advocate General PS Raman denied any wrongdoing, asserting that the PIL was filed for publicity and that the CBI lacked jurisdiction in Tamil Nadu without court direction. The matter before the high court has been adjourned to May 21.
Time of India
16-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
‘No irregularities in schemes for dalits'
Chennai: Denying any irregularities in the implemantation of the 500 crore (AABCS) for the upliftment of sanitary workers as entrepreneurs, Tamil Nadu govt told the that it engaged the Delhi-based (DICCI) as it had implemented similar schemes in four states successfully. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now "The company implemented similar schemes in four other states successfully. The scheme is a laudable initiative that benefitted many manual scavengers," advocate-general P S Raman told a vacation bench of justice G R Swaminathan and justice V Lakshminarayanan on Friday, in response to a filed by YouTuber Savukku Shankar. The PIL sought CBI probe alleging misappropriation of funds. The vacation bench had on Wednesday directed the state to produce the files relating to the scheme. When the plea came up for hearing on Friday, additional advocate-general J Ravindran, representing the municipal administration department, submitted that the court must provide more time for the department to produce the files. "The scheme started in 2023, but the petitioner remained silent until May 2025 and moved the second vacation court. The court ordered the production of files and posted for orders today (Friday). I am seeking a reasonable time. This is only a request," Ravindran said.
The Hindu
16-05-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Is T.N. Congress chief's nephew a director of firm implementing ‘sanipreneur' scheme, Madras High Court asks State government
The Madras High Court on Friday (May 16, 2025) sought to know whether Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) president K. Selvaperunthagai's nephew R. Veeramani is one of the directors of a private company involved in implementing a State government scheme to eradicate manual scavenging and promote 'sanipreneurs'. A Division Bench of Justices G.R. Swaminathan and V. Lakshminarayanan posed the question during the hearing of a public interest litigation (PIL) petition filed by YouTuber 'Savukku' Shankar, alias A. Shankar, seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into alleged misappropriation of public funds under the scheme. Justice Swaminathan told Advocate General P.S. Raman that the petitioner had produced a December 16, 2024 press release containing a public statement made by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin that Dalit Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DICCI) was included as a collaborator only at the instance of Mr. Selvaperunthagai. Since the petitioner had also claimed that after the collaboration with the government, DICCI's president Ravi Kumar Narra and Mr. Veeramani had jointly floated a company named Gen Green Logistics to implement the project, the judges wanted to know whether the claims made by the petitioner were true. 'If it is true, then you are in trouble,' Justice Swaminathan told the A-G before granting time till May 21, 2025 for the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) to submit all records related to the Annal Ambedkar Business Champions Scheme (AABCS) formulated in 2023 to encourage 'sanipreneurs'. The petitioner had stated that instead of implementing the scheme through government departments, the State had chosen to collaborate with DICCI for the purpose of identifying beneficiaries, who could be offered bank loans with capital subsidies and interest subvention for the purchase of sanitation-related equipment. After the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the government and DICCI, Mr. Narra and Mr. Veeramani had started Gen Green Logistics, which entered into an agreement with the beneficiaries, to operate mechanised equipment and disburse fixed monthly payments to them, he alleged. The petitioner claimed that a major scam had taken place in the implementation of the scheme through private bodies. However, rebutting the allegations, the A-G told the court that DICCI was selected as a collaborator on the recommendation of Safai Karamchari Andolan, a national-level organisation working for the eradication of manual scavenging. 'Other States collaborated with DICCI' He said, a Government Order was issued on June 8, 2023 for exempting CMWSSB from going through the usual tender transparency process only because many other States too had implemented similar projects in collaboration with DICCI. The project had been implemented successfully in Hyderabad, he said. The A-G, further, wondered how the court could direct the CBI to register a First Information Report (FIR) when the petitioner had not approached the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) at the first instance. He told the court the 2023 G.O. was the only record available with the government with respect to the scheme. On his part, Additional Advocate General (AAG) J. Ravindran, representing CMWSSB, questioned the motive behind the petitioner having filed a case related to a 2023 scheme by way of a PIL petition during the summer vacation sitting in May 2025. He said, the petitioner does not hold a clean record, and the PIL petition had been filed with bald allegations. Asserting that the CMWSSB had nothing to hide and that it was not shying away from producing the records, the AAG said, the two days' time granted by the court on Wednesday (May 14, 2025) was insufficient to submit the voluminous records and therefore, the board required a reasonable amount of time for the production of the documents. The judges accepted his request and directed the High Court Registry to list the case next on May 21, 2025, when the same Bench would continue to hear the matter.
Time of India
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Give details on entrepreneurship scheme for sanitary workers: HC
Chennai: Madras high court on Wednesday directed Tamil Nadu govt to furnish records pertaining to Annal Ambedkar Business Champions Scheme (AABCS), through which 100 crore was allotted for the upliftment of sanitary workers as entrepreneurs. Through the scheme, beneficiaries were provided financial aid to purchase sewage tanker a public interest writ petition filed by YouTuber Savukku Shankar on Wednesday, a vacation bench of Justice G R Swaminathan and Justice V Lakshminarayanan directed the state to produce the records on Friday. The petitioner wanted the court to order a CBI probe into the petitioner said state govt allotted 524 crore over a span of seven years for sewerage management through the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board and the department of municipal administration. The state further announced AABC scheme by allotting 100 crore during 2023-24. A GO to this effect was issued by MSME department of the state on May 12, 2023. However, in blatant violation of the rules, the responsibility to implement the scheme was delegated to Dalit Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DICCI), a private entity, he not only defeated the purpose of the scheme but led to large-scale misappropriation of funds intended for the welfare of sanitation workers, he alleged. He alleged Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president K Selvaperunthagai and DICCI national president Ravikumar Narra were involved in the scam."Initially, DICCI recommended 87 people, of whom 39 are legal heirs of deceased sanitary workers and 48 people currently engaged in sanitary work to be benefitted under the scheme. Subsequently, another 133 people belonging to SC and ST communities were recommended, who are all members of the Congress party's SC/ST wing," he alleged.
