Madras High Court Impleads Dalit Association In Savukku Shankar's Plea Alleging Swindling Of Funds From Ambedkar Champions Scheme
The Madras High Court on Thursday impleaded the Dalit Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industries (DICCI) and Gen Logistics company in a petition filed by YouTuber Savukku Shankar seeking CBI probe into the alleged corruption in Annal Ambedkar Business Champions Scheme.Shankar claims that though the scheme was brought in to uplift scheduled caste entrepreneurs, the implementation was...
The Madras High Court on Thursday impleaded the Dalit Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industries (DICCI) and Gen Logistics company in a petition filed by YouTuber Savukku Shankar seeking CBI probe into the alleged corruption in Annal Ambedkar Business Champions Scheme.
Shankar claims that though the scheme was brought in to uplift scheduled caste entrepreneurs, the implementation was illegally delegated to DICCI, a private non-statutory entity, to facilitate a large scale corruption.
The bench of Justice GR Swaminathan and Justice V Lakshminarayan today allowed the impleading petition.
When the matter was taken up last week, the court had asked Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) to produce details of the scheme by the next hearing. However, the order of the High Court was kept in abeyance by the Supreme Court which wondered what was the emergency for the vacation court to take up the case without hearing the necessary parties ie., DICCI.
When the matter was taken up today, the court wondered why no counsel representing the DICCI or Gen Logistics had appeared before the court despite the order of the Supreme Court.
“When the matter was taken up today, for reasons not clear, neither the DICCI nor the Gen Logistics have chosen to appear before us despite being given liberty by the Supreme Court. The impleading petition is allowed and DICCI and Gen Logistics have been impleaded as respondents. Thus, we have adhered to the orders passed by the Supreme Court,” the bench noted.
The court thus decided to hear the matter on Friday and asked an officer from the CMWSSB to be present in the court to assist the bench regarding any queries.
The plea was filed by Shankar seeking a direction to the CBI to register an FIR based on his representation and to conduct an enquiry into the illegalities committed in sanctioning funds under the NAMASTE and AABCS scheme to fraudulent beneficiaries/persons who were ineligible and not sanitation workers. Shankar had claimed involvement of DICCI and Gen Green Logistics, both private entities, in the scam.
Shankar had submitted that the AABCS scheme was announced by the State Government with the noble objective of uplifting Scheduled Caste entrepreneurs in the State. The Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Department, through the Industries Commissioner and Director of Industries & Commerce (ICDIC), was designated as the nodal agency to implement the scheme. However, Shankar claimed that the implementation was illegally and arbitrarily transferred to the DICCI, a private entity, through an MoU signed by the Government. Shankar pointed out that this unlawful outsourcing contravened the express Government Order and guidelines and would not only defeat the purpose of the scheme but would also lead to large-scale misappropriation of funds.
Shankar submitted that following the MoU, the DICCI recommended beneficiaries for the scheme who were members of the Congress Party's SC/ST wing and their close associates, and all of whom were associated with the TNCC President Selvaperungathai. The beneficiaries recommended by Selvaperungathai also won a tender floated by the CMWSSB to hire vehicles equipped with jet-rodding machines for cleaning in Chennai. The allegation against Gen Logistics was that they had entered into leasing agreements with these beneficiaries and were, in turn, receiving funds directly from the government, thus siphoning off a bulk of public funds.
Case Title: A Shankar @ Savukku Shankar v. The Director, CBI
Case No: 18178 of 2025