The CBI has booked former officials of the Tender Inviting Authority and Tender Scrutiny Committee, along with other public servants, private individuals and contractors, on charges of criminal conspiracy, cheating and corruption.

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The CBI has registered an FIR in an alleged Rs 397-crore scam case related to the procurement of transformers in Tamil Nadu during V Senthil Balaji’s tenure as the state’s electricity minister between 2021 and 2023, officials said Monday.The agency has registered the case against the then officials of the Tender Inviting Authority and Tender Scrutiny Committee of TANGEDCO, Chennai, other public servants, private persons, and contractors under IPC sections related to criminal conspiracy and cheating, as well as the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.The FIR has alleged corruption in tenders floated for the supply of distribution transformers of a range of specifications starting from 25 KVA up to 500 KVA in 2021, 2022 and 2023 by TANGEDCO, “leading to unjust enrichment to the bidders and corresponding loss to the government exchequer to the tune of Rs 397 crore”.Supreme Court declines to interfere with probe orderThe CBI action comes nearly a month after the Supreme Court refused to interfere with a Madras High Court order directing a CBI probe into the alleged scam in the procurement of transformers.On April 29, the Madras High Court ordered a CBI inquiry into alleged irregularities in the procurement of 45,000 distribution transformers by the Tamil Nadu government.Balaji denies wrongdoing in tender processFollowing the high court order, Balaji had maintained that all procedures were duly followed in the tender process and that no irregularities were committed in the procurement of transformers.The DMK leader had also said the procurement procedures had been in place since 1987 and that the “same procedures were followed till now”.High court order followed petitions alleging lossesThe high court order came on allegations that the state exchequer suffered a loss of Rs 397 crore between 2021 and 2023.The court had passed the order on a petition filed by NGO Arappor Iyakkam seeking an inquiry by a Special Investigation Team, while AIADMK legal wing functionaries E Saravanan and Rajkumar sought a CBI probe into the alleged irregularities.Published on June 8, 2026