HC to monitor probe against TNPSC officials

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has expressed its inclination to monitor the probe conducted by the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) against TNPSC chairman R Chellamuthu and other members on charges of corruption.‘‘Considering the nature of allegations, which in our view, prima facie appear to be very serious, we may be inclined to monitor the entire investigation that shall be conducted by the DVAC,’’ the first bench comprising Chief Justice MY Eqbal and Justice TS Sivagnanam said on Saturday.The bench was passing interim orders on a public interest writ petition from an advocate seeking cancellation of all the direct recruitments made by the TNPSC for various services.Citing newspaper reports published on October 14 to the effect that the sleuths of the DVAC conducted raids in the office and residential premises of the TNPSC chairman and other members and seized incriminating documents and lakhs of rupees, petitioner sought to cancel the recruitments made by them.The raids and seizures followed issuance of an amended GO on August 9, this year, which brought the officials of the TNPSC also under the purview of the State Vigilance Commission and the DVAC. Aggrieved, the PSC chairman and members have filed writ petitions challenging this GO and the same were pending before a single judge. The bench said that it had dismissed a writ petition challenging the same GO, earlier. Hence, it would be appropriate that the petitions filed by the PSC chairman and members should also be heard by them,the judges said, and posted the same before them to be heard after two weeks.