Chennai, Oct 7:
The Madras High Court on Wednesday refused to grant an interim stay on the investigation into a case registered against former Minister E.V. Velu and his son E.V. Kamban over alleged illegal removal of soil from a lake for levelling the venue of a DMK youth wing conference in Tiruvannamalai.
The DMK North Zone Youth Wing Conference was held in Tiruvannamalai on December 14, 2025. According to a complaint filed by Arappor Iyakkam with the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) on August 13, soil was allegedly excavated illegally from the nearby Malappambadi lake over an area of about 12 acres, to depths ranging from 10 to 23 feet, for levelling the conference venue. The complaint alleged that the excavation caused a loss of about Rs 8 crore to the government.
Based on the complaint, the DVAC registered a case against E.V. Velu and his son E.V. Kamban. Challenging the case and seeking its quashing, the two approached the Madras High Court.
The petitions came up for hearing again before Justice V. Lakshminarayanan on Wednesday. Appearing for Velu and his son, their counsel argued that conferences had been held at the same location three times earlier and that the soil had been removed only after obtaining the required permission. The allegations in the complaint were completely fabricated, they contended. It was also argued that the case had been registered without obtaining the Governor’s sanction and that the investigation should therefore be stayed.
The police sought time to file their response. Accepting the request, Justice Lakshminarayanan directed the DVAC to file its response to the petitions and adjourned the matter to November 6. The judge declined to grant an interim stay on the investigation without first hearing the response from the other side.