The Kerala High Court on Tuesday directed the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) to examine a complaint alleging corruption and irregularities in the State’s Decentralised Paddy Procurement (DCP) Scheme and take action in accordance with law if it finds substance in the allegations.

A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Soumen Sen and Justice Syam Kumar V M issued the order while hearing a public interest litigation filed by a practising advocate against the State and others.

The petitioner alleged that a lobby involving certain private rice mill owners and officials had systematically undermined the DCP scheme over the past two years. The scheme is intended to procure paddy from registered farmers, have it converted into Custom Milled Rice (CMR), and distribute it through the public distribution system.

The petition cited data on paddy allocations available on the Supplyco Paddy website for the 2024-25 allocation period, along with data relating to two mills for 2025-26. According to the petitioner, the data indicated that certain mills had been favoured in violation of the procurement policy. The petitioner had also submitted a representation to the VACB Director in Thiruvananthapuram.

The petitioner further submitted that action had been initiated against 10 other rice mills for failing to deliver the required quantity of CMR. During the hearing, counsel for the Kerala State Civil Supplies Corporation (Supplyco) informed the court that action had already been initiated against the mills identified by the petitioner.

Taking note of the action already initiated, the Bench directed the VACB to examine the complaint and proceed in accordance with law if it finds merit in the allegations.

The court also directed Supplyco to continue taking action against individuals or rice mills found to have violated the norms and guidelines governing the DCP scheme.
(LiveLaw inputs)