Gutkha scam: DMK files caveat petition in Supreme Court

New Delhi: The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) on Tuesday filed a caveat petition before the Supreme Court in connection with the Gutkha scam in Tamil Nadu.

The Madras High Court had on April 26 ordered a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the multi-crore scam in Tamil Nadu that allegedly involves ministers and incumbent Director General of Police T.K. Rajendran.

On April 27, hundreds of DMK workers also staged a protest outside the office of Rajendran demanding his resignation.

The scam surfaced in July, 2016 when the Income Tax department raided the residences, offices, and godown of a gutkha manufacturer who was accused of evading taxes to the tune of Rs 250 crore.

The scam pertains to a report of the Income Tax Department sent to the then Chief Secretary P. S. Rama Mohana Rao and Director-General of Police Ashok Kumar that contained details of alleged payoffs made by the gutkha manufacturer to some officials to allow the sale of banned tobacco products in Chennai.