Former Minister R. Vaithilingam. | Photo Credit: R.M. Rajarathinam The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) has filed a protest petition before the Principal Sessions Court in Chennai objecting to a move by the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti Corruption (DVAC) to close a ₹27.90 crore bribery case against former AIADMK former Minister R. Vaithilingam who had resigned his MLA post in January 2026 before joining the DMK. The protest petition, filed throug ED Special Public Prosecutor N. Ramesh, stated that the DVAC had registered a First Information Report (FIR) against Mr. Vaithilingam on September 19, 2024 for an alleged offence committed by him during his tenure as Minister for Housing and Urban Development in former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa’s Cabinet between 2011 and 2016. According to the FIR, Mr. Vaithilingam, in his capacity as ex-officio chairman of Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority, had received a bribe of ₹27.90 crore from Shriram Properties and Infrastructure Private Limited (subsequently renamed as Gateway Office Parks Private Limited) for granting planning permission to construct 1,453 additional buildings on 57.94 acres of land …