Madurai: The Madras high court on Tuesday directed the inspector general of police, south zone, to submit a comprehensive report on the progress of the investigation into the property tax scam in Madurai corporation.
A division bench comprising Justice N Sathish Kumar and Justice M Jothiraman issued the directive while hearing a public interest litigation filed by T Ravi, an AIADMK councillor representing ward 83 of Madurai corporation.
The petitioner alleged that a massive scam in the assessment of property tax within the corporation came to light in 2024. He claimed that several corporation officials, in collusion with zonal chairpersons, were involved in the fraudulent activity. The scam reportedly resulted in a loss of over Rs200 crore in revenue for the corporation.
Ravi further contended that the police had taken action only against low-profile individuals and not against the real culprits, who wield political influence. Consequently, he sought a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the matter.
Earlier, the court observed that a scam of this magnitude warranted investigation by an IPS officer, with oversight from higher authorities to ensure no lapses and that no high-ranking individuals escape prosecution. All those responsible for the substantial loss to the corporation should be held accountable, the court stated.
Previously, the court had directed the south zone IG and the Madurai city commissioner of police to constitute a special investigation team headed by a senior IPS officer of proven integrity to probe the property tax scam.
