The Madras High Court on Monday demanded an explanation from the Public Secretary for delaying the prosecution process against two IAS officers in a ₹98.25 crore contract case linked to former AIADMK Minister S.P. Velumani. Justice N. Anand Venkatesh, hearing a contempt petition from anti-corruption group Arappor Iyakkam, said the Public Secretary kept the prosecution files from January 5, 2024, to August 30, 2025, without sending them to the Centre for required sanction. The judge also made the Vigilance Commissioner and the Director of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption official respondents and demanded their replies by January 6 on why they did not push the Public department. The case involves alleged contract irregularities in Chennai and Coimbatore municipal corporations when Velumani was Municipal Administration Minister between 2014 and 2018. Despite an FIR in 2021, the trial has not started even after four years and multiple petitions to speed up the legal process. Justice Venkatesh criticized the slow process, especially targeting high-level officials, saying, “The Prevention of Corruption Act cannot be confined to lower level staff such as Tahsildars, VAOs, RTOs and so on. If the system does not work with equal alacrity against Ministers, IAS officers and judges too, the people will lose faith in the system.” This move comes after the vigilance commissioner recommended prosecution against IAS officers K.S. Kandasamy and K. Vijaya Karthikeyan on January 5, 2024, but the files stayed untouched for over a year and a half. The court’s strict orders underscore the need for faster action against alleged corruption at the top levels of government service.