UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Ex-Minister case: SC refuses to interfere in Madras HC order

Q1. With reference to the alleged transformer procurement scam during V. Senthil Balaji's tenure as Tamil Nadu Electricity Minister, which of the following are correctly identified?

  1. V. Senthil Balaji — former Tamil Nadu Electricity Minister whose 2021–2023 tenure is under scrutiny in the case.
  2. TANGEDCO — the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation, which floated the impugned transformer tenders.
  3. Arappor Iyakkam — the NGO whose Public Interest Litigation before the Madras High Court led to the order directing a CBI probe.
  4. DVAC — the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption functioning under the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3 only
  • B. 2, 3 and 4 only
  • C. 1, 3 and 4 only
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q2. Which one of the following is the primary constitutional provision under which the Madras High Court, in April 2026, directed a CBI probe into the alleged transformer procurement irregularities of the TANGEDCO?

  • A. Article 32
  • B. Article 136
  • C. Article 226
  • D. Article 142

Q3. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the agency directed by the Madras High Court to probe the alleged ₹397-crore transformer procurement scam, derives its statutory powers of investigation from which one of the following?

  • A. The Central Bureau of Investigation Act, 1963
  • B. The Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946
  • C. The Commissions of Inquiry Act, 1952
  • D. The Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988

Q4. In the context of the petition through which the TANGEDCO official approached the Supreme Court against the Madras High Court's CBI-probe order, what is a 'Special Leave Petition' (SLP)?

  • A. A petition invoking the Supreme Court's discretionary jurisdiction under Article 136 to grant leave to appeal from any judgment, decree, determination, sentence or order passed by any court or tribunal in India (except those relating to the Armed Forces)
  • B. A writ petition filed directly in the Supreme Court under Article 32 for enforcement of fundamental rights
  • C. A reference made by the President of India to the Supreme Court under Article 143 seeking its opinion on a question of law or fact of public importance
  • D. A petition under Article 137 seeking review of a judgment or order already pronounced by the Supreme Court