What happened
Anti-corruption NGO Arappor Iyakkam alleged that 10 tenders floated by TANGEDCO between 2021 and 2023 — for roughly 45,800 distribution transformers worth Rs 1,183 crore — were rigged with identical price bids by 25 to 37 bidders quoting the same numbers across at least seven tenders. The estimated loss to the exchequer: Rs 397 crore. Former Electricity Minister V Senthil Balaji of the DMK held the portfolio at the time. The complaint had been pending with Tamil Nadu's Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption since 2023. On April 1, 2026 Arappor Iyakkam participated in the DVAC enquiry; on April 2 it submitted documents while the matter was being heard by the Madras High Court; on April 4 the DVAC's preliminary enquiry concluded that there was no material to substantiate the allegations and dropped the case. On April 29, 2026, a bench of Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G Arul Murugan flagged the 'abrupt haste' to close a three-year-old file in four days, ordered a fresh CBI investigation, and described the conduct of the state vigilance wing as a cover-up to shield political figures. Balaji's defence: 'There was no loss to the government or to the electricity board.'