Supreme Court Dismisses Plea Against HC Order For CBI Probe Into Transformer Procurement During Senthil Balaji's Tenure As TN Minister

The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a plea challenging the Madras High Court's order directing a CBI probe into the alleged Rs. 397-crore scam in the procurement of transformers during the tenure of V Senthil Balaji as Electricity Minister in Tamil Nadu.

A Bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta refused to interfere with the High Court's direction ordering a Central Bureau of Investigation inquiry into the alleged irregularities.

During the hearing, Senior Advocate Siddharth Dave, appearing for Kasi, an official of the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (TANGEDCO), argued that there was no specific prayer before the High Court seeking a CBI investigation and contended that the proceedings were politically motivated.  TANGEDCO Chairperson also filed a similar petition, which was withdrawn.

“There was no prayer for CBI enquiry before the High Court. It's a politically motivated case,” Dave submitted.

Justice Nath, however, remarked that a court was empowered to direct such an investigation if the circumstances warranted it.

“We don't need a prayer. It depends upon how the court feels,” the Bench observed.

Declining to entertain the special leave petition, the Court said: “We are not inclined to entertain the SLP.”

At the same time, the Bench clarified that the investigation should proceed independently and not be influenced by any observations made by the High Court in its order directing the probe.

“However, the investigation shall not be influenced by the observations made by the High Court,” the Court ordered.

The petition was filed against the order passed by the Madras High Court in April 2026 in relation to the transformer tenders during the tenure of Senthil Balaji as the Minister for Electricity and Prohibition and Excise from 2021 to 2023.

The High Court passed the order in petitions filed by Arappor Iyakkam NGO and members belonging to other political parties seeking the State to register an FIR against the persons involved in the case. The petitioners had informed the Court that though they had sent representations to the State, no action had been taken, prompting them to approach the court.

On April 29, the High Court bench bench of Chief Justice SA Dharmadhikari and Justice G Arul Murugan has ordered the Tamil Nadu Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) to transfer all the files connected with the case to the officer in charge of investigation, who shall be appointed within 2 weeks of the order.

 Case : V KASI v. ARAPPOR IYAKKAM AND ORS | Diary No. 27763-2026