In what is being seen as a major setback to Tamil Nadu Government, the Madras High Court on Friday ordered a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation into the allegations of corruption against Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami.

Justice AD Jagadish Chandira  transferred the probe into allegations of corruption against the Chief Minister from the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) to the CBI, “in the interest of justice and to ensure free and fair investigation”. The justice also set a time line of three months for the CBI to complete the investigation.

The court was disposing of a petition filed by DMK organising secretary RS Bharathi on June 13 alleging largescale corruption in the award of five civil contracts by the State Highways Department. This is a portfolio being held by the Chief Minister.

Interestingly, the court verdict came three days after the DVAC, which held a preliminary probe, gave a clean chit to Palaniswami last Tuesday stating that it did not find commission of any cognisable offence.

The complainant Bharathi had charged that the contractors who bagged major civil contracts of works funded by the World Bank  were close relatives and friends of the Chief Minister and his son.

This is the second case against the Government of Tamil Nadu which has been transferred to the CBI. Earlier, the court had transferred the Gutkha pay-off case probe too to the CBI for investigation as the case featured ministers and top bureaucrats and police higher-ups.