Chennai: Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) has booked former municipal administration minister K N Nehru and 12 others on Sept 4, accusing them of manipulating govt tenders and collecting illegal gratification in the name of “party fund” between 2021 and 2025.The special investigation cell of DVAC registered the case at its headquarters in Chennai, based on a 258-page report submitted by Enforcement Directorate in Dec 2025. The report alleged that contracts under municipal administration, urban and water supply (MAWS) department were manipulated, causing wrongful gain of ₹1,020 crore to the accused.The accused included Nehru’s brothers K N Manivannan and N Ravichandran, his close associate Kavi Prasad, TVH Group directors D Ramesh and D Prabhu, former town planning officer Sasipriya, former regional engineers G Balachandran and G Murugesan, former MLAs S Sudarshanam and J J Ebenezer, office-bearers of C T Constructions and contractor K Sathish Kumar. The FIR also named unknown officials, contractors, private individuals and companies.According to the DVAC enquiry, the accused entered into a criminal conspiracy to manipulate tenders and identify preferred contractors before bids were opened. It alleged that contractors paid illegal gratification ranging from 7.5% to 10% of contract values in the name of “party fund”.The FIR cited WhatsApp chats, photographs and financial calculations recovered from mobile phones during the enquiry. One record relating to three stormwater drain contracts showed a combined contract value of ₹525.31 lakh and a calculation of ₹55.15 lakh as “party fund”. The contracts were subsequently awarded to a contractor named in the records.Another set of records referred to 155.79 lakh collected under contracts in the Tiruppur region. The inquiry also cited records referring to payments involving officials in Coimbatore and Tiruppur. DVAC said the material collected during the detailed enquiry prima facie disclosed offences, including criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust, cheating, and criminal misconduct, under the IPC, the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and the Prevention of Corruption Act.The case was registered after prior permission under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act. The FIR was submitted before the Principal Judge, City Civil and Sessions Court, Chennai, along with the Enforcement Directorate report. Further investigation was under way.
