Supreme Court backs FIR against K N Nehru in ₹634-crore jobs scam

The Supreme Court dismissed K N Nehru's challenge to an FIR in the alleged ₹634-crore cash-for-jobs scam. The ruling preserves the Madras High Court-ordered investigation without determining guilt.Newdelhi,Nov 2, 2026 13:56 ISTThe Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a petition by former Tamil Nadu minister and DMK leader K N Nehru challenging a Madras High Court direction to register an FIR against him in an alleged 634-crore cash-for-jobs scam, news agency Press Trust of India reported.A bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and Sheel Nagu said there was no ground to interfere with the high court's February 20 judgment and October 26 order.On October 26, the high court dismissed Nehru's review petition against its earlier order directing the DVAC to register a case based on information provided by the Enforcement Directorate in the alleged scam. It also disposed of the state government's review petition after it was withdrawn.The allegations relate to the period when Nehru, a senior DMK leader from Tiruchirappalli, headed Tamil Nadu's Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department during the DMK government's 2021-26 tenure. While dismissing Nehru's review petition, the high court said two factors weighed with it. First, the order was reserved on February 4, 2026, and pronounced on February 20, leaving a gap of more than two weeks.The court said Nehru could have filed an application during those 16 days if he wanted to bring anything to its attention after receiving notice, but he made no such attempt. This supported the Advocate General's submission that the review applicant had watched the proceedings before raising his objections, the bench said. Second, the high court said its direction was limited to the registration of a case and an investigation. It had not decided anyone's guilt and could not have done so at that stage.The observations in the order recorded the Enforcement Directorate's case and were not the court's conclusions, the bench said. Whether the material would stand scrutiny and whether Nehru or his relatives had any role in the alleged wrongdoing were matters for the investigation and, subsequently, a criminal court to decide.The high court said a direction to register a case and investigate was a preliminary step that did not determine anyone's guilt. Such a direction did not have to await the version of every person who might eventually be investigated, it added.“The review applicant will have his say, in full, once the investigation reaches him,” the bench said, according to PTI.Referring to a contempt petition alleging that its February 20, 2026 order had not been followed, the high court said the grievance had been addressed after the review petition was withdrawn and the Advocate General assured it that the authority concerned would continue the investigation based on the registered FIR.The Supreme Court has now declined to intervene, leaving in place the high court's direction for the registration of the case and an investigation into the alleged cash-for-jobs scam.- Ends