DVAC Raids 25 Locations Linked to Ex-DMK Minister KN Nehru
The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) has launched coordinated raids across 25 locations linked to former Tamil Nadu minister and DMK heavyweight K.N. Nehru over an alleged ₹634 crore cash-for-jobs scam in the municipal administration department, igniting a fierce political showdown as DMK President M.K. Stalin denounces the crackdown as pure political vendetta.
In a massive anti-graft crackdown sending shockwaves across Tamil Nadu's political landscape, the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) on Thursday launched simultaneous search operations across 25 properties and offices linked to prominent Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader and former cabinet minister K.N. Nehru. The extensive state-wide raids stem from an alleged ₹634 crore cash-for-jobs recruitment racket purportedly executed during Nehru’s tenure as the Minister for Municipal Administration and Water Supply (MAWS). Mobilized across major urban centers, DVAC inspection squads are scrutinizing extensive financial ledgers, digital storage devices, property documentation, and recruitment files to unearth the financial paper trail and examine allegations of institutional bribery tied to state municipal appointments.
Madras HC Mandate & Supreme Court Move: The Genesis of the ₹634 Crore Probe
The coordinated anti-corruption drive follows a recent judicial order from the Madras High Court directing a comprehensive statutory probe into the employment irregularities. The judicial directive was rooted in detailed documentary dossiers and investigative evidence initially flagged by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to the state police department in October 2025, which pointed toward systematic extortion of exorbitant bribes from candidates in exchange for government postings in the municipal administration division. The DVAC's dawn searches unfolded merely a day after K.N. Nehru approached the Supreme Court of India by filing a Special Leave Petition (SLP). The senior leader's apex court petition challenges the October 26 order of the Madras High Court, which dismissed his review plea seeking to quash the registration of the First Information Report (FIR) against him.
Political Storm in Tamil Nadu: MK Stalin Slams 'Revenge Raids' as Diversionary Tactic
The multi-city raids have immediately triggered an intense political clash between the DMK and the state administration. Strongly condemning the DVAC action, DMK President M.K. Stalin launched a fierce broadside against the ruling dispensation on social media platform X, characterizing the raids as an outright display of political vendetta engineered by the government. Stalin alleged that the high-profile enforcement spectacle was orchestrated deliberately to divert public scrutiny from escalating administrative failures and a deteriorating law-and-order situation where women, children, and senior citizens face growing insecurity across the state. Rejecting any political intimidation, the DMK chief asserted that coercive institutional pressure would fail to shake the resolve of even the grassroots party cadre, escalating an already heated political confrontation ahead of upcoming electoral battles.
