‘Savukku’ Shankar moves Madras HC seeking CBI probe into alleged scam in manual scavenging eradication schemes

‘Savukku’ Shankar moves Madras HC seeking CBI probe into alleged scam in manual scavenging eradication schemes

YouTuber ‘Savukku’ Shankar, alias A. Shankar, has filed a public interest litigation (PIL) petition before the Madras High Court, seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into alleged illegalities in the implementation of entrepreneurship schemes for manual scavengers.

The PIL plea is expected to be listed before the summer vacation Bench of Justices G.R. Swaminathan and M. Nirmal Kumar on Wednesday (May 14, 2025). The petitioner had sought a direction to the CBI to register a First Information Report (FIR) based on his March 27, 2025, complaint.

In his affidavit, the petitioner said, the Centre had introduced the National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE) and the Tamil Nadu government had come up with the Annal Ambedkar Business Champions Scheme (AABCS) in 2023 to eradicate manual scavenging.

The idea behind these schemes was to introduce mechanised solutions, such as automated jetting and suction machines, by offering bank loans with capital subsidies and interest subvention to manual scavengers for the purchase of sanitation-related equipment.

According to the official guidelines and modalities of AABCS, the scheme should be implemented by the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) department of the State government through the Industries Commissioner and Director of Industries and Commerce (ICDIC), the petitioner claimed.

He further claimed that the implementation responsibilities were, however, illegally and arbitrarily delegated to the Dalit Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DICCI), a private entity registered with the Registrar of Companies, and it had led to misappropriation of crores of rupees.

Accusing Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) president K. Selvaperunthagai of having played a major role in this, the petitioner claimed that a huge amount of public money, meant for empowering sanitation workers, had not reached the real beneficiaries due to the illegalities.