Chennai: The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) is the competent authority to grant statutory sanction for prosecution of IAS officers in criminal cases, the Central government informed the Madras High Court on Wednesday (September 16, 2026).
The submission was made by Sushil Kumar Patel, Joint Secretary, Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), before Justice N. Anand Venkatesh during the hearing of a contempt petition filed by anti-corruption organisation Arappor Iyakkam.
Patel told the court that prosecution sanction proposals are examined by the DoPT and then sent to the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) for its remarks. After receiving the CVC’s views, the file is forwarded to the PMO for a decision on granting sanction.
The issue relates to the delay in granting prosecution sanction against IAS officers K.S. Kandasamy and M.K. Vijaya Karthikeyan in the alleged ₹98.25-crore tender irregularities case involving former AIADMK Minister S.P. Velumani.
The alleged irregularities concern contracts awarded by the Greater Chennai and Coimbatore municipal corporations between 2014 and 2018. The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) registered an FIR in 2021 and subsequently completed its investigation.
While sanction to prosecute Velumani was granted by the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly Speaker on February 12, 2024, the sanction for prosecution of the two IAS officers remained pending. The proposal was submitted to the Centre in 2025 and was subsequently processed by the DoPT.
Explaining the delay, Patel said the DoPT had received voluminous documents running into thousands of pages from the State government, which required detailed examination before the matter could be sent to the CVC.
He assured the court that the DoPT was giving the matter top priority and that the entire process would be completed within two months.
The High Court adjourned the matter to November 12, 2026 and directed the Joint Secretary to file an affidavit explaining the entire sanction process from November 2025 until a decision is taken by the PMO.
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