Madras High Court Gives Ishari K Ganesh Final Deadline to Prove Corruption Case Closure

The Madras High Court has granted a final opportunity to educationist and film producer Ishari K. Ganesh to produce an official executive or judicial order proving the closure of a 2022 corruption case against him and former Tamil Nadu Health Minister C. Vijayabaskar.

The First Division Bench, comprising Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G. Arul Murugan, ruled that if Mr. Ganesh fails to produce the document by July 13, 2026, his petition to quash an Enforcement Directorate (ED) case against him will be dismissed.

The legal battle stems from a First Information Report (FIR) registered by the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) on September 12, 2022. The DVAC filed the case against Mr. Vijayabaskar, Mr. Ganesh, Vels Medical College Dean K. Srinivasaraja, and four government doctors, including R. Balajinathan, T.M. Manohar, J. Sujatha, and J.A. Vasanthakumar.

According to the 2022 FIR, Mr. Ganesh, who is associated with the Vels Institute of Science, Technology and Advanced Studies (VISTAS), allegedly bribed then-Health Minister Mr. Vijayabaskar in 2020. The bribe was allegedly intended to secure an "essentiality certificate" for the newly constructed Vels Medical College in Tiruvallur district, allowing it to admit 150 students into its MBBS course.

Under medical admission regulations, such a certificate requires a private hospital to have been operational for at least two years and capable of developing into a 300-bed teaching hospital. However, the DVAC alleged that the certificate was issued while the college buildings were still under construction, citing a June 2020 town planning report.

The case took a turn when Dr. Balajinathan petitioned the High Court to quash the FIR against him. In response, the DVAC filed a counter affidavit stating it had closed the case against Mr. Vijayabaskar, Mr. Ganesh, and Dr. Srinivasaraja due to a lack of incriminating evidence. The Vigilance Commission had accepted the closure report and dropped actions against the private individuals.

Citing the DVAC's decision to drop the corruption case, Mr. Ganesh filed a writ petition to quash the Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) registered against him by the ED on March 23, 2023. He argued that since the primary FIR had been closed, the money laundering case should also be declared illegal.

However, the High Court has repeatedly requested official proof of the closure. The bench noted that Mr. Ganesh had been seeking time periodically since March 18, 2026, to produce the order. On July 3, 2026, the court issued its final warning, granting him a one-week deadline to present either the state government's executive order or a judicial order quashing the FIR.