The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti Corruption (DVAC) on Thursday conducted searches at the properties belonging to senior AIADMK leader and former Tamil Nadu Transport Minister MR Vijayabhaskar. According to reports, the searches that began around 7 am on Thursday, were conducted at around 21 places located in Karur district and in Chennai. 

The DVAC searches are being conducted in connection with corruption allegations in the Transport Department. MR Vijayabhaskar’s residence in Sai Kripa Apartments in Chennai’s RA Puram is also being searched. People who are closely linked to the senior AIADMK leader are also under the DVAC scanner, according to reports. Further details are awaited.

In 2018, the DMK led by MK Stalin, which was then the main opposition party in the state, had levelled allegations of corruption and sought action against then Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami, former Deputy CM O Panneerselvam, and ex-Minister Vijayabaskar, among other Cabinet colleagues of the former AIADMK Chief Minister. In June that year, in a letter to DVAC, the DMK had alleged corruption in the allocation of five contracts for highway projects to companies that were allegedly owned by relatives of the former CM. The party later moved the Madras High Court, where it had pointed out that the DVAC had a ‘track record’ of not registering cases against state ministers. Following this, the Madras High Court ordered a CBI probe into the allegations, to be headed by an officer of the Superintendent of Police rank. However, it is unclear if the searches held on Thursday were in connection with this case. 

Vijayabhaskar was appointed the Transport Minister in 2016. In the Assembly elections held recently, MR Vijayabhaskar lost to DMK’s Senthil Balaji, who incidentally has also been accused in a “job scam” in the transport department while he was a minister in the J Jayalalithaa Cabinet from 2011-2015. 

This is a developing story