Madras High Court Refuses Savukku Shankar’s Plea For CBI Probe Into Alleged Siphoning Of Government Funds In Implementation Of Sanitary Workers Development Scheme

The Petitioner alleged siphoning of government funds in the implementation of sanitary workers development scheme by the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB). He further alleged that malpractices have been committed while implementing the petition mentioned project, specifically that beneficiaries were chosen by a private non-statutory entity Dalit Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DICCI) , and that these beneficiaries "entered into agreements with one M/s.Gen Green Logistics Private Limited.

A Division Bench of Justice GR Swaminathan and Justice V Lakshminarayanan held, “Since the issues highlighted by the writ petitioner have been redressed on account of the fair concession made by Thiru.Ravikumar Narra and the non-adversarial stand taken by the official respondents, there is no need to direct the CBI to register a case on the petitioner's complaint.”

Advocate P.Rajkumar Pandian appeared for the Petitioner, while Advocate General P.S.Raman and Senior Advocate Murali Kumaran represented the Respondents.

Brief Facts

The State claimed that the Government had passed a G.O. exempting CMWSSB from the Tamil Nadu Transparency in Tenders Act, 1998. It was submitted that DICCI had offered its services to identify the poor SC/ST scavengers free of cost and would be given practical training in execution of the work with focus on safety and would also be given special training for skill development. CMWSSB submitted that beneficiaries identified by DICCI were awarded contracts and thereafter, the beneficiaries and Gengreen Logistics and Management Pvt. Ltd. entered into separate tri-partite agreements.

Court’s Reasoning

The High Court noted that 213 bidders were issued work orders for "Deployment of Specially fabricated jetting cum grabbing machine (of capacities 2KL and 6KL) for maintenance of sewer system for a period of seven years in Chennai Metropolitan Area". However, "213 bidders who were awarded the contract did not form the group management company as envisaged in the tender notification," the Bench stated.

Consequently, the Court disposed of the Writ Petition with the following directions, stating there was "no need to direct the CBI to register a case on the petitioner's complaint":

• "The list of 213 awarders/contractors will be rechecked".
• The "fifth respondent board will verify if each one of them fulfill the eligibility criteria for bidders set out in Clause 3 of the tender notification". Priority must be given to "legal heirs of the deceased sanitary workers, core sanitary workers and manual scavengers and other sanitary workers". If the list "does not effectuate the government's intention, the list will have to be revised and the entire process revisited".
• Respondents 4 and 5 "will coordinate with the officials in this regard and follow the principles of natural justice" , completing this exercise within "6 weeks from the date of receipt of copy of this order". A compliance report "shall be submitted to the registry and it shall be taken on record" , and also "posted in the website of the 3rd Respondent".
• The outcome of this exercise "will be informed in writing to the writ petitioner".
• "Neither Shri.Ravikumar Narra nor any other current director who is not a sanitary worker will have any shareholding in the GMC". The company "now acting as GMC will have as its shareholders only those who have been awarded/ will be awarded the sub-contract by the fifth respondent board".
• "DICCI will play the mentor role and handhold each and every contractor so that they alone constitute the body of shareholders as well as its governing body".
• "DICCI will play the role cast on it in the tender notification and nothing more". The "monetary fruits of the project will go only to the sanitary workers/legal heirs of the sanitary workers who have been awarded the contract".
• Thiru. Ravikumar Narra undertook to "ensure that the benefits will reach only the contracted group and nobody else".
• The "exercise of integrating the sanitary workers/legal heirs of the sanitary workers into the corporate structure of Gengreen Logistics and Management Pvt Ltd will be concluded within a period of twelve weeks from the date of receipt of copy of this order"

Accordingly, the High Court disposed of the Petition.

Cause Title: A.Shankar Alias Savukku Shankar v. The Director Central Bureau of Investigation & Ors. (W.P No. 18178 of 2025)

Appearance:

Petitioner: Advocate P.Rajkumar Pandian

Respondents: Advocate General P.S.Raman; Senior Advocate Murali Kumaran; Additional Government Pleader L.S.M.Hasan Faisal; Additional Advocate General J.Ravindran; Special Counsel N.Baaskaran; Special Government Pleader U.Baranidaran; Standing Counsel.Krishna Ravindran; Advocate V.S.Venkatesh

Click here to read/download the Order