Senior IAS officer V.K. Jeyakodi was on Wednesday appointed the State Vigilance Commissioner, a post that earlier was additionally held by Home Secretary Niranjan Mardi. His immediate task would be to monitor the ongoing probe into the gutkha scam by the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption.
Mr. Jeyakodi’s appointment comes less than a week after the Madras High Court (Madurai Bench) ordered the Chief Secretary to appoint an officer with independent charge to the post in order to monitor the probe into the gutkha scam.
During an investigation by the Income Tax Department, a gutkha manufacturer had alleged that he paid huge sums of money as bribe to a minister, two top police officers and others in return for being allowed to sell the banned tobacco product in Chennai.
As per the High Court’s order, there should not be any kind of political interference in the discharge of lawful function by the Vigilance Commissioner.
“The Director, Vigilance and Anti-Corruption, shall constitute a special team and conduct an inquiry into this matter under his personal supervision. He should take orders only from the Vigilance Commissioner. He shall not share the materials collected during the investigation with any of the public servants,” the court had said.
Warning by judges
The judges had also ordered that “he should report directly to the Vigilance Commissioner. There should not be any kind of interference during the course of the inquiry by the political executive or public servants, and more particularly [sic], by the DGP, the Minister concerned or any of the other officers against whom allegations are made.”
A Government Order stated that Mr. Jeyakodi would also take charge as the Commissioner for Administrative Reforms. The post of Chairman and Managing Director of the Tamil Nadu Power Finance and Infrastructure Development Corporation, held by Mr. Jeyakodi, would henceforth be additionally held by Energy Secretary Vikram Kapur.
