TASMAC irregularities case: Madras High Court reserves orders on plea to quash DVAC’s FIR

The Madras High Court has reserved its orders on a plea by former DMK Minister V. Senthilbalaji’s co-accused T. Ramesh to quash the DVAC's July 28, 2026 FIR in the TASMAC tender irregularities case. The First Division Bench, headed by Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G. Arul Murugan, deferred the verdict after hearing counsel for both sides.

The petitioner, Ramesh, alleged that he was one of the accused in a ₹35-crore bribery case involving TVK MLAs, and that he was arrested by the DVAC immediately after being released on bail in the TVK case. He argued that Section 35(3) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita mandates the police to issue a notice of inquiry before arresting suspects, while Section 17 of the PCA allows for arrest without a warrant.

The DVAC countered that the petitioner could not challenge the FIR in a serious corruption case causing significant loss to the public exchequer without providing grounds to show the law was unconstitutional. The ASG opposed the petition, stating that the challenge to Section 17 was not maintainable, as the petitioner had not demonstrated how the law was unconstitutional.