E.V. Velu and son seek protection from arrest in India mining case

Former Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam minister E.V. Velu and his son E.V. Kumaran have asked the Madras High Court for anticipatory bail in a case concerning alleged unauthorised lake-bed excavation.

The Hindu reported that Justice V. Lakshminarayanan agreed on October 9 to give prosecutors time to submit written objections. He also orally advised against coercive action in the meantime, citing the first petitioner’s age. The report describes an oral recommendation rather than a decision granting anticipatory bail.

The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption registered the case on September 24 following a complaint by Jayaram Venkatesan of Arappor Iyakkam. The complainant alleges that 45,72,058 cubic feet of sand were illegally excavated from Malappambadi lake in Tiruvannamalai district around November 2025. The material was allegedly used to level a site for a DMK youth wing conference held on December 14, 2025.

The complaint concerns about eight acres and alleges a loss of 8.22 crore rupees to public funds. It says the land being levelled belonged to a private company in which Kumaran was a director.

Both petitioners deny wrongdoing. Velu says the complaint identifies no specific act by him or instance of influencing officials. He argues that an allegation of unauthorised excavation alone does not establish responsibility on his or his son’s part.

Velu also says the authorities controlling the lake were outside his ministerial portfolio. The anticipatory bail applications followed the court’s earlier refusal this week to grant interim protection without hearing the other side in separate petitions seeking to quash the First Information Report.