YouTuber and social activist Savukku Shankar has filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) before the Madras High Court demanding a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into what he alleges is large-scale misappropriation of funds earmarked for welfare schemes targeted at Dalit sanitation workers and entrepreneurs in Tamil Nadu.
At the heart of the PIL is the Annal Ambedkar Business Champions Scheme (AABCS), a flagship initiative intended to economically uplift sanitation workers by supporting them in launching businesses. Shankar alleges that the implementation of the scheme was “illegally and arbitrarily” outsourced to the Dalit Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DICCI), leading to diversion of funds away from the intended beneficiaries.
According to Shankar’s petition, the DICCI, which was entrusted with overseeing the disbursement of funds and project execution, has deep-rooted political links—particularly with Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) President and MLA K. Selvaperunthagai. The petition claims that individuals with political connections to the Congress party disproportionately benefitted from the scheme, while genuine sanitation worker beneficiaries were sidelined.
“This is not just corruption. It is a betrayal of the trust reposed by the most marginalised in our society. Poor Dalits, especially sanitation workers who are meant to be the core beneficiaries of AABCS, have been defrauded,” the PIL alleges.
Shankar also claims that his attempts to expose the irregularities through his YouTube platform, Savukku Media Network, were met with intimidation. He alleges that his residence was vandalised and his mother was threatened by unidentified persons shortly after he began broadcasting details of the alleged scam.
The PIL urges the High Court to direct the CBI to undertake a time-bound, independent investigation into the alleged misappropriation and political interference in the implementation of AABCS and similar welfare schemes. It also calls for protection for whistleblowers and independent journalists investigating corruption in public welfare programs.
