The Madras High Court was Wednesday informed that the contracts to lay roads in the state were not awarded to any close relatives of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami.
The Advocate General, Vijay Narayan, appearing for the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti Corruption (DVAC) said tenders were given only to distant relatives of the chief minister, who is the chairman of the empowered committee to award contracts.
Narayan made the submission before Justice Jagadish Chandira on the petition by R S Bharathi, Organising Secretary of the DMK, alleging corruption and violation of World Bank guidelines on the award of road contracts by Palaniswami.
In his petition, Bharathi alleged that Palaniswami had abused his power and allotted highway projects worth Rs 3,500 crore to his relatives and 'benamis.'