Tamil Nadu police on Thursday filed a chargesheet in a Madurai court against DMK chief M Karunanidhi's grandson and former union minister MK Alagiri's son Durai Dayanidhi and 14 others in a case related to illegal granite mining.
In the 5,191 pages chargesheet, police charged the accused persons for illegally mining granite worth Rs 257 crore in Madurai district and causing loss to the government.
Durai Dayanidhi and others were booked under Sections 120(B) (conspiracy), 447 (criminal trespassing) and 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code for illegally quarrying on government land. Among the 15 accused, were owners of various granite firms including Olympus Granites in which Dayanidhi and Nagarajan were partners.
The cases were registered based on a complaint from Keezhavalavu Village Administrative Officer. The officer accused Dayanidhi and Nagarajan among others of encroaching government land adjacent to the permitted quarrying area and causing revenue loss to the government.
The granite scam came to a light when former Madurai district collector U Sagayam held an inquiry and submitted a report to the state government in 2011, estimating losses caused to the exchequer at Rs 16,000 crore for several years.
