Anti-corruption watchdog Arappor Iyakkam has submitted a detailed representation to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay, seeking immediate action on 42 corruption complaints filed by the organisation over the past decade. The organisation has said that the complaints together involve losses of more than ₹70,000 crore and alleged that FIRs have not been registered in most of the cases.
In its representation, Arappor Iyakkam has sought the registration of FIRs, completion of investigations and filing of chargesheets wherever required. It has also demanded that public money found to have been lost through corruption or irregularities be recovered and returned to the state exchequer.
The organisation has submitted a list of complaints made to the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC), covering departments including TANGEDCO, Highways, Revenue, Registration, Civil Supplies, Chennai Corporation and other government agencies.
Breaking: anti-corruption watchdog @Arappor’s seeks key corruption abolition reforms from CM C Joseph Vijay.
Arappor Iyakkam has submitted a detailed memorandum to CM C Joseph Vijay seeking legal and administrative reforms to curb corruption and increase state revenue.
It… pic.twitter.com/8Xh5SfKd6Y
— Omjasvin M D (@omjasvinMD) September 10, 2026
Among the complaints highlighted is an alleged ₹2,000-crore issue concerning construction approval and environmental clearance granted to Brigade Enterprises Limited on prohibited Ramsar wetland land. According to Arappor Iyakkam, the complaint was filed in October 2025 and an FIR had not been registered. The organisation has also sought cancellation of the construction approval, alleging the loss of wetland and increased flood risk in the Perumbakkam area.
Another complaint concerns the collapse of a newly constructed State Highway bridge over the Thenpennai river. Arappor Iyakkam has pegged the alleged corruption involved at ₹16 crore and said no FIR had been registered in the case.
The organisation has also flagged an alleged ₹992-crore scam in the transportation of paddy to ration shops. The complaint, filed in March 2025 against the Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation, was listed as pending without an FIR.
An alleged ₹700-crore illegal mining case involving rough stone and gravel in Tirunelveli has also been included. Arappor Iyakkam said a report had been submitted by the former Natural Resources Department Secretary to the Minister and Public Secretary, but an FIR had not been registered.
₹60,660 Crore TANGEDCO Power and Coal Complaints
Some of the largest figures in the list relate to TANGEDCO.
Arappor Iyakkam has alleged irregularities worth ₹6,066 crore in the procurement of imported coal between 2012 and 2016. The complaint was filed in 2018, but the organisation said a preliminary enquiry had continued for several years without an FIR.
A separate complaint concerns long-term power purchases from private players, involving contracts worth ₹54,000 crore. According to the organisation, the complaint concerns the manner in which the power was procured rather than merely the value of the purchases. It said a DVAC enquiry was undertaken and that a draft FIR was reportedly ready, but an FIR had not yet been filed.
Another TANGEDCO complaint concerns the internal movement and transportation of coal. Arappor Iyakkam had pegged the alleged corruption at ₹1,028 crore. An FIR was subsequently registered in 2023 for alleged corruption involving ₹909 crore, but the organisation said DVAC later filed a closure report before the court without informing it.
Civil Supplies, Housing Board and Corporation Complaints
The representation also includes an alleged ₹2,028-crore corruption case involving the procurement of dhal, sugar and palmolein by the Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation between 2015 and 2021. Arappor Iyakkam said an FIR had not yet been registered in this case.
The organisation has also raised allegations concerning the transportation of paddy, procurement of Canadian yellow lentils and other Civil Supplies Corporation transactions.
In another case, Arappor Iyakkam alleged corruption in the construction of Tamil Nadu Housing Board buildings at KP Park in Pulianthope. The complaint, involving ₹27 crore, was filed in 2021. The organisation said an FIR was yet to be filed and that DVAC had sought prior approval from the government.
A separate complaint concerns the construction, maintenance and advertisement of bus shelters in Chennai over a 15-year period beginning in 2015. Arappor Iyakkam has valued the alleged irregularities at ₹400 crore and said that although a detailed enquiry had reportedly been completed and prior approval obtained, the FIR had not been registered.
Road and Infrastructure Complaints
Several complaints relate to the Highways Department and infrastructure projects.
Arappor Iyakkam has alleged that roads worth ₹4.68 crore were shown as having been laid in Karur even though the work had not actually been carried out. An FIR was registered in that case, but the chargesheet is yet to be filed.
Another complaint concerns road-laying and missing-link stormwater tenders in the Chennai Corporation involving tenders worth ₹740 crore. The organisation has estimated the alleged corruption at at least ₹200 crore. FIR No. 3/2024 was registered in September 2024, but the chargesheet is yet to be filed.
The organisation has also complained about alleged inflation of estimates by a Highways Superintending Engineer, now a Chief Engineer, in Tiruvallur. The alleged value of the irregularity was placed at ₹8.75 crore.
A separate disproportionate-assets complaint against a former Chief Engineer of the Highways Department involves alleged assets worth ₹3.35 crore. Arappor Iyakkam said an FIR had not been registered.
It has also flagged the alleged theft of soil from Malapambadi lake involving former DMK Minister E.V. Velu, with the alleged value placed at ₹8.32 crore. The organisation has said no FIR had been filed in that complaint.
Cases Against Former Ministers
The list also contains several cases involving former ministers.
Arappor Iyakkam had complained in 2018 about the alleged award of Chennai and Coimbatore Corporation contracts to relatives and alleged benamis of former Minister S.P. Velumani. The organisation estimated the alleged corruption at at least ₹200 crore.
An FIR was registered in 2021, and the chargesheet was reportedly ready, but prosecution sanction for two IAS officers was still awaited from the Central Government. Arappor Iyakkam has also filed a contempt case before the Madras High Court over the matter.
A separate disproportionate-assets case against Velumani involves alleged assets worth ₹100 crore. An FIR was registered in 2022, but the chargesheet has not yet been filed.
The organisation has also listed a ₹76-crore disproportionate-assets case against former Minister K.C. Veeramani. An FIR was registered in 2021, but the chargesheet was reportedly awaiting prosecution sanction from the Governor for nearly three years.
Two complaints relate to former Housing Minister R. Vaithilingam. One concerns alleged corruption and bribery in the approval of plan sanctions, involving an alleged bribe of ₹27.9 crore. An FIR was registered in September 2024, and Arappor Iyakkam said the Enforcement Directorate had also shared evidence with DVAC. However, the organisation alleged that the FIR was subsequently closed without informing it and has sought further investigation.
A separate disproportionate-assets case against Vaithilingam was registered in 2024, with the DVAC alleging disproportionate assets of ₹32.47 crore. The chargesheet is yet to be filed.
Land Registration and Wetland Cases
The representation also highlights several alleged irregularities involving government land and land registrations.
Arappor Iyakkam has complained about the alleged illegal registration of government land involving former Minister R. Rajakannappan. The land was valued at around ₹500 crore. The organisation has sought cancellation of the registration and recovery of the land.
Another complaint concerns the alleged illegal registration of government lands by a Sub-Registrar, Uma, and others. The organisation estimated the value involved at ₹250 crore. The CBCID has registered an FIR relating to one property, while chargesheet action is pending and FIRs for the remaining properties are yet to be filed, according to the representation.
The organisation has also raised an alleged ₹166-crore case involving the registration of lands earmarked for acquisition for the “Green Airport Project” in favour of a private firm.
A separate PACL-related land case involves more than 5,300 acres allegedly registered illegally. An FIR was registered by DVAC in Tirunelveli in August 2022, but the final report or chargesheet is yet to be filed.
Arappor Iyakkam has further alleged large-scale illegal registration involving around 1,000 acres of Pallikaranai marshland. It described the financial value as running into hundreds of crores, apart from the environmental cost, and said an FIR had not been registered.
Other Complaints
The list includes a complaint concerning alleged corruption in the payment of ₹4.5 crore for a Health Management Information System software that was not implemented.
Another complaint concerns alleged corruption in the affiliation of private engineering colleges by Anna University. An FIR was registered by DVAC in 2025, but the chargesheet has not yet been filed.
Arappor Iyakkam has also raised allegations concerning the illegal registration and double documentation of land in Trichy and Kanchipuram, involving an alleged ₹1.5 crore loss.
A separate complaint involving alleged ₹17-crore corruption in Udamalaipet Municipality is also listed as pending without an FIR.
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— Omjasvin M D (@omjasvinMD) September 10, 2026
Arappor Seeks Time-Bound Action
Along with action on the individual complaints, Arappor Iyakkam has called for systemic reforms in the state’s anti-corruption machinery.
The organisation has argued that DVAC requires specialised investigative expertise to deal with increasingly sophisticated corruption cases. It has proposed the involvement of IT professionals, chartered accountants, engineers and other technical experts in investigations involving tenders, infrastructure projects, digital transactions and financial irregularities.
It has also called for regular training of government officials on integrity, conflict of interest and the procedures governing tenders. The organisation has suggested mandatory training every six months and greater awareness of how officials should deal with contractors and other private parties.
Arappor Iyakkam has proposed that cost estimates for government projects be independently prepared by third-party agencies rather than being determined solely by officials executing the projects.
It has also called for mandatory online tendering for all tenders above ₹1 lakh, instead of the existing threshold of ₹50 lakh cited in its representation. According to the organisation, physical “box tenders” can be manipulated and should be eliminated.
The organisation has further sought reforms to identify collusive bidding, bid-rigging and conflicts of interest, including clear definitions of these practices in the state’s tender rules.
It has urged the government to prevent the unnecessary splitting of large projects into smaller contracts, which it said could allow projects to bypass higher-level financial scrutiny.
Another recommendation concerns the repeated relaying of roads. Arappor Iyakkam has called for scientific assessment of road conditions, including the use of a Roughness Index, before new road work is sanctioned.
Lokayukta and Judicial Reforms
Arappor Iyakkam has also sought greater powers for the Lokayukta, arguing that the anti-corruption body should have powers to investigate and interrogate cases rather than merely record violations.
It has proposed a time-bound process under which an FIR should be registered within one month of a corruption complaint, the chargesheet filed within three months and the trial completed within six months.
The organisation has also called for specialised legal training for prosecutors dealing with corruption, cyber, digital and corporate cases.
Another demand is greater public disclosure of government tenders. It has called for details including the contractor awarded the work, project value, commencement and completion dates and other project information to be made available online.
The organisation has said that fixing accountability for past corruption is essential to creating a deterrent. It has therefore urged the government to act on the pending complaints, prosecute those found responsible and recover public money lost through corruption.
The representation comes as the Vijay government has repeatedly projected transparency and anti-corruption as key elements of its governance agenda. The complaints now place the government under pressure to demonstrate whether that stated position will translate into action on cases that have remained pending for years.
Arappor Iyakkam has said the complaints are supported by documentary evidence, including government records, budget details, transaction information and alleged violations of established rules, and has called on the government to have the allegations independently investigated rather than leaving them pending.
The organisation has also argued that preventing future corruption requires changes to the tendering and procurement system, greater transparency and stronger investigative institutions, alongside action on the specific complaints already submitted to the government.
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