Published Jun 08, 2026 | 6:00 PM ⚊ Updated Jun 08, 2026 | 6:00 PM
Homepage of the Makkal Saatchi portal.
Synopsis: A software engineer in Tamil Nadu has launched a website to fight corruption in government departments. The platform, ‘Makkal Saatchi’, grabbed public attention when the police took prompt action in a complaint against one of its officers. The founder of the website now wants the government to make the platform official.
A citizen-led anti-corruption website, Makkal Saatchi, is rapidly gaining attention across Tamil Nadu after authorities reportedly acted on one of the complaints within 24 hours.
Deepak Sivakumar, a software engineer and self-proclaimed ardent supporter of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, launched the website. The portal enables citizens to anonymously report bribery and corruption incidents in various state government departments.
Sivakumar said he hit upon the idea soon after the TVK government had assumed office on 10 May. Initially, he created a portal specifically to expose ‘corruption’ in TASMAC liquor outlets, and launched it on 27 May.
He claimed that the portal received more than 300 complaints in 11 days since its launch. The majority of complaints pertained to TASMAC employees charging an additional ₹10 per bottle over the MRP.
“After seeing the number of complaints from just one department, I started thinking about how the possible scale of corruption and bribery could be happening across departments in Tamil Nadu,” Sivakumar told South First.
This eventually led him to expand the initiative into a full-fledged anti-bribery portal under the name Makkal Saatchi (People witness), covering multiple government verticals.
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Sivakumar, who independently developed the website after conducting extensive research, said the platform currently has 75 categories related to bribery and corruption.
The Makkal Saatchi website includes separate complaint sections covering:
People can submit complaints anonymously, though some users voluntarily choose to reveal their identities, he said.
Makkal Saatchi has received more than 148 complaints within 11 days.
Sivakumar said most complaints were regarding bribery in the Registration Department, including allegations involving Village Administrative Officers (VAOs) and officials linked to the land registration processes.
“The next highest number of complaints are related to the Electricity Department, particularly regarding bribes allegedly demanded for meter changes and new power connections. We have also received several complaints regarding bribery in the police department,” he said.
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Sivakumar said a recent complaint posted on Makkal Saatchi led to swift police intervention.
“On 6 June, we received a complaint regarding a cheating case that had occurred three months ago. The complainant alleged that police personnel had demanded bribes while helping recover money lost in the fraud,” he said.
Sivakumar said that he later posted the complaint publicly on X, tagging the Tamil Nadu Police.
“Within a short time, Joint Commissioner of Police (South Law & Order), Greater Chennai Police, Dr P Vijayakumar, contacted me for the details. Subsequently, officers visited the complainant’s residence, took a written complaint, and assured action to help recover the money,” he claimed.
Sivakumar clarified that since he was not government-affiliated, the platform does not store sensitive user information or permanently retain complainants’ personal details.
The software engineer said he was currently studying the complaint patterns emerging through the Makkal Saatchi portal. He has plans to integrate artificial intelligence tools to identify broader corruption trends across Tamil Nadu.
“Once a large number of complaints are collected, I want to apply AI to analyse patterns in how bribery and corruption function across departments and expose those trends systematically,” he said.
Sivakumar further stated that he has been approaching TVK MLAs and government representatives in an attempt to transform Makkal Saatchi into an official anti-corruption mechanism.
“I want the government to take this forward as a pilot initiative,” he added.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
