The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Tuesday directed the Inspector General of Police, South Zone, to file a detailed report on the progress made in the investigation into the property tax scam in Madurai Corporation.

A Division Bench of Justices N. Sathish Kumar and M. Jothiraman sought the report while hearing a public interest litigation petition filed in 2025 by AIADMK Councillor of Madurai Corporation T. Ravi (Ward No. 83).

The petitioner sought transfer of the probe into the scam to the CBI. The scam that occurred between 2022 and 2024 had caused a loss of about ₹200 crore to the civic body, Mr. Ravi alleged.

He said though the complaint was lodged by the Corporation Commissioner in 2024, a case was registered only in 2025. There was a delay in registering the case and action was being taken against low profile persons and not the real culprits.

Earlier, the court had taken a serious view of the matter and said the probe should be monitored by higher authorities to ensure there were no lapses and the guilty were not spared. All those responsible for causing loss to the Corporation should be prosecuted, the court had said.

In order to ensure public confidence and create a conducive environment for a free and fair investigation, the court had directed the IGP, South Zone, and the Commissioner of Police, Madurai City, to constitute a Special Investigation Team, headed by a senior IPS officer of proven integrity.

Pursuant to the court direction, the SIT was formed to probe the scam. A committee comprising 11 officials under the supervision of the Deputy Commissioner (Revenue) of Madurai Corporation was constituted to find out whether any irregularity or under assessment was made. The court posted the matter for hearing to July 3.