The Madras High Court on Thursday asked the government to provide the minutes of meetings held by the tender committees that approved contracts for buying thousands of distribution transformers. These contracts were cleared during the time when former Electricity Minister V. Senthilbalaji was in office, between 2021 and 2023. According to reports, the contracts caused a loss of ₹397 crore to the public due to collusive bidding, where companies may have worked together to fix prices.
The First Division Bench, headed by Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava along with Justice G. Arul Murugan, also directed that a report on the preliminary inquiry being conducted by the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) must be submitted to the court by March 9, 2026.
These directions came in response to a 2024 writ petition filed by the anti-corruption group Arappor Iyakkam, which highlighted irregularities in the tender process. The court’s orders are part of ongoing efforts to ensure transparency and accountability in government procurement, and to investigate the reported financial losses to the public exchequer.
Officials involved in the inquiry are expected to provide detailed records and evidence so that the court can assess whether there was wrongdoing in awarding the transformer contracts. The case has drawn attention because of the large public money involved and the potential impact of collusive practices on government spending.