A resident of Theni district has approached the Madras High Court seeking a direction to the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) to register a First Information Report (FIR) against AIADMK coordinator O. Panneerselvam. The litigant claimed that Mr. Panneerselvam had mined gravel sand worth over ₹500 crore from government lands through his associates and family members without obtaining proper approvals.
The litigant, P. Gnanarajan of Upparpatti, also alleged that huge tracts of those government lands were converted into private properties after completing the mining operations. When the case was listed before Justice V. Bharathidasan, the DVAC submitted that the matter was now pending before the Vigilance Commissioner for approval.
The judge recorded the submission and adjourned the matter by two months for obtaining approval and proceeding further.
Long-time complaint
Mr. Gnanarajan claimed that he had been complaining about the illegal mining in Vadaveeranaickanpatti village, ever since the AIADMK was in power, but no action was taken. He alleged that the illegalities were committed through Mr. Panneerselvam’s associate V. Annaprakasam and his family members. The petitioner claimed to have made a detailed complaint running to 14 pages along with 217 pages of supporting documents. He said the DVAC was duty bound to conduct a preliminary inquiry to find out if any cognisable offence had been made out on the basis of the complaint and go ahead with the FIR registration, as ordered by the Supreme Court in Lalita Kumari’s case.
