Supreme Court gives no relief to former T.N. Minister Nehru in cash-for-jobs scam case
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FIle photo of former Tamil Nadu Minister K.N. Nehru | Photo Credit: M. Moorthy
The Supreme Court refused on Monday (November 2, 2026) to intervene against a Madras High Court order giving the green signal to the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti Corruption (DVAC) to register an First Information Report (FIR) and investigate allegations of a multi-crore cash-for-jobs scam against former DMK Minister K.N. Nehru.
A Bench headed by Justice Dipankar Datta said a thorough investigation was necessary as Mr. Nehru was heading the Ministry under scanner for involvement in the alleged recruitment irregularities.
The Bench however said the former Minister was entitled to raise all points in his defence and in accordance with law during future proceedings before the court.
The High Court had earlier refused the Minister’s plea to re-consider its February 20 order, directing the DVAC to register the FIR.
In October last year, the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) had shared a dossier with the Tamil Nadu Police levelling the cash-for-jobs allegation in the Municipal Administration and Water Supply (MAWS) department led by the then Mr. Nehru.
The ED had laid its hands on the incriminating materials in April 2025 while conducting a search and seizure operation, in connection with a bank fraud case, at the premises associated with Mr. Nehru’s brother N. Ravichandran. It had shared the information with the DGP in accordance with Section 66 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002.
The materials reportedly disclosed several crores of rupees having exchanged hands through hawala transactions for filling up 2,538 posts of Assistant Engineers, Junior Engineers and Town Planning Officers in the MAWS department. They revealed receipt of bribe amounts of ₹25 lakh to ₹35 lakh per person and sharing of call letters with the candidates even before those people were officially selected and appointed.
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