Chennai:
Police in Chennai today raided the office of Union Minister MK Alagiri's son Durai Dayanidhi in connection with the granite scam, and have reportedly recovered some documents. Mr Dayanidhi has been absconding for more than a month after a firm closely linked to him was accused of illegal mining near the temple town of Madurai in Tamil Nadu.
The former Collector of Madurai, U Sahayam, has submitted a report to the Tamil Nadu government alleging that many granite companies violated the terms of their mining licenses in the granite quarries near Madurai. He estimated a revenue loss of around 16,000 crores to the ex-chequer following which the district administration had raided all the 175 granite quarries in Madurai district for a survey to unravel violations, quantify illegal mining and estimate losses to the government.
Mr Dayanidhi, the state claims, is a partner in Olympus Granites. His lawyers argued that he had given up his position a few years ago. However, the police claim the irregularities were committed when he was the Director of the company.
His lawyers had applied for anticipatory bail, which was turned down by the Madras High Court on September 25. They have now filed a fresh petition seeking quashing of the FIR against him, filed by the police under the Mines and Minerals Act for encroaching government land and illegal mining. The Police had also alerted immigration authorities to help them in preventing Mr Dayanidhi and the 11 others accused from leaving the country.
Mr Dayanidhi's grand-father, M Karunanidhi, heads the DMK, which is a senior partner in the ruling coalition at the centre.