SC refuses to interfere with CBI probe into Tamil Nadu power scam

In a setback to former Tamil Nadu minister V Senthil Balaji, the Supreme Court on Monday refused to interfere with a Madras High Court order directing a CBI probe into an alleged Rs 397-crore scam in the procurement of transformers during his tenure as the state’s electricity minister between 2021 and 2023.

A bench of justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta refused to entertain the plea challenging the High Court’s direction for a CBI probe into the alleged irregularities.

Senior advocate Siddharth Dave, appearing for an official of the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (TANGEDCO), said there was no specific prayer before the High Court seeking a CBI investigation and contended that the proceedings were politically motivated.

“There was no prayer for a CBI enquiry before the High Court. It’s a politically motivated case,” Dave submitted. Justice Nath said the court was empowered to direct such a probe if the circumstances warranted.

Declining to entertain the special leave petition against the High Court order, the court ordered that it was not inclined to entertain the appeal and said investigation in the matter should proceed independently without being influenced by any observations made by the High Court.