The Madras High Court Bench in Madurai on Tuesday ordered notice to police on a petition by former Union Minister M.K. Alagiri’s son Durai alias Dayanidihi seeking to relax bail conditions imposed on him by the Court on November 22, 2013 in the illegal granite mining case.
Mr. Dayanidhi said the investigation was almost over and he had cooperated with the police. He had been obeying all the bail conditions imposed by the court which included that he should execute a bond for Rs.10,000, surrender the passport and be available for investigation.
The Court had later relaxed the conditions twice. It dispensed with his appearance before the police, ordered return of his passport on the condition that he should execute a bond for Rs. 2 lakh and inform police about his foreign trips 10 days in advance and also before his return, this was further relaxed to three days before departure and on returning home.
Mr. Dayanidhi submitted that Nagarajan, who was the accused number one in the case had been given relaxation from all bail conditions, and pleaded he may also be allowed the same.
When the matter came up for hearing, Justice G. Chockalingam directed the Police Inspector of Keezhavalavu Police Station, where the case had been registered, to file a report by November 28.
Police had filed cases against Mr. Dayanidhi under various IPC Sections including 120 (B) (criminal conspiracy) in the multi-crore illegal granite quarrying scam case. Besides cases were also filed under Mines and Minerals Act and Explosive Substances Act.
Police had charged Mr. Dayanidhi and Mr. Nagarajan, partners in Olympus Granites Pvt. Ltd., with encroaching on the adjacent government land and taking away large quantity of granite illegally without quarrying in the permitted area and causing loss of Rs. 44 crore to the Government.
The government had ordered a crack down on the firms after then Madurai District Collector U. Sagayam in a report, estimated the losses caused to the exchequer by illegal granite mining at around Rs. 16,000 crore over a period of years.
