Madras High Court Declines CBI Probe In Savukku Shankar's Plea Alleging Swindling Of Funds From Ambedkar Champions Scheme

The Madras High Court has disposed the plea filed by Youtuber Savukku Shankar seeking a CBI probe into the alleged misappropriation of funds in connection with the implementation of the Annal Ambedkar Scheme. Though the court has refused to order a CBI probe, the court has directed the authorities to recheck the list of tender awardees and ensure that only those who fulfill the criteria have been awarded contracts under the scheme. The bench of Justice GR Swaminathan and Justice V Lakshminarayanan reserved the plea for orders during vacation court in May after taking note of an undertaking given by the President of the Dalit Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industries (DICCI) assuring the court that all the beneficiaries identified under the scheme will be made part of Gen Green Logistics, thus ensuring that they get shares and benefits under the Scheme.The court has directed the authorities to verify the list following the principles of natural justice and delete persons who do not fulfill the requisite criteria. The court added that the outcome of the exercise must be informed to Shankar, who had alleged that even advocates had been made beneficiaries under the scheme. "The outcome of the sent excise will be informed in writing to the petitioner. We are constrained to issue such a direction because the petitioner has alleged that even advocates have been included in the list of beneficiaries. Neither Sri Ravikumar Nara or any other current director who is not a sanitary worker will have any shareholdings in the GMC Group management companies. The said company, which is now acting as GMC will have as its shareholders, only those who have been awarded or will be awarded the subcontract by the 5th respondent board," the bench said.Recording the undertaking given by DICCI, the court said that DICCI would play only the mentor role and hand hold each and every contractor so that they alone constitute the body of shareholders as well as its governing body. The court added that DICCI would play the role cast in the tender notification and nothing more. The court emphasised that in the end, the end, the monetary fruits of the project should go only to the sanitation workers.The plea was filed by Shankar seeking a direction to the CBI to register an FIR based on his representation and to conduct an enquiry into the illegalities committed in sanctioning funds under the NAMASTE and AABCS scheme to fraudulent beneficiaries/persons who were ineligible and not sanitation workers. Shankar had claimed involvement of DICCI and Gen Green Logistics, both private entities, in the scam.Shankar had submitted that the AABCS scheme was announced by the State Government with the noble objective of uplifting Scheduled Caste entrepreneurs in the State. The Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Department, through the Industries Commissioner and Director of Industries & Commerce (ICDIC), was designated as the nodal agency to implement the scheme. However, Shankar claimed that the implementation was illegally and arbitrarily transferred to the DICCI, a private entity, through an MoU signed by the Government. Shankar pointed out that this unlawful outsourcing contravened the express Government Order and guidelines and would not only defeat the purpose of the scheme but would also lead to large-scale misappropriation of funds.Shankar submitted that following the MoU, the DICCI recommended beneficiaries for the scheme who were members of the Congress Party's SC/ST wing and their close associates, and all of whom were associated with the TNCC President Selvaperungathai. The beneficiaries recommended by Selvaperungathai also won a tender floated by the CMWSSB to hire vehicles equipped with jet-rodding machines for cleaning in Chennai. The allegation against Gen Logistics was that they had entered into leasing agreements with these beneficiaries and were, in turn, receiving funds directly from the government, thus siphoning off a bulk of public funds.When the matter was heard today, pointing to Shankar's conviction by Justice Swaminathan for contempt of court, Additional Advocate General J Ravindran questioned Shankar's bonafides in filing the petition. He argued that though Shankar, in his plea, said that he came to know of the alleged corruption, he had not stated how he got the information. Ravindran also argued that there was no urgency in the plea, prompting the vacation court to take up the case. He added that the state would have been given 4 weeks time to file its counter which would be legitimately expected in the present plea also. He also submitted that the plea stemmed from a personal grudge since Shankar's house was vandalised following a news article related to the issue.The court, on the other hand, said that it was not considering the petitioner and was taking up the plea only because there was allegations of corruption in a scheme for Dalits. The court said that the issue was serious and thus required urgent consideration.Order ...

Madras High Court Declines CBI Probe In Savukku Shankar's Plea Alleging Swindling Of Funds From Ambedkar Champions Scheme

Upasana Sajeev

Tags