DVAC Registers Case Against Former DMK Minister Durai Murugan in Illegal Sand Mining Probe
The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) in Tamil Nadu has registered a case against former Water Resources Department Minister and DMK general secretary Durai Murugan alongside several former officials and private entities over allegations of illegal sand mining. The action follows inquiries into complaints submitted by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and two other complainants, leading to the registration of Case Crime No. 08/2026 on November 6.
According to an official government release, the investigation names Durai Murugan as the primary accused. Also named in the case are former Engineers-in-Chief A. Muthaiya and Ramamoorthy, 14 officials from the Water Resources Department (WRD), and 10 private individuals and firms. The complaints were lodged by the ED Chennai unit, S. Tamilselvan, and Jayaram Venkatesan, who serves as the convenor of the anti-corruption organisation Arappor Iyakkam.
Allegations of Irregularities and Financial Losses
The DVAC statement outlines alleged malpractices occurring between 2021 and 2024 related to sand mining across 28 river quarries in Tamil Nadu. The alleged irregularities involve awarding contracts through limited tenders rather than open tenders, extracting sand beyond permitted limits, fabricating permit vouchers to use as authentic documents, and unauthorised sand transportation.
Investigating authorities state that these actions caused a wrongful loss of Rs 1,427,34,23,059 to the state exchequer across four specific quarry locations among the 28 under scrutiny.
Following the registration of the case, anti-corruption teams conducted searches across 34 sites, including locations in Chennai, Pudukkottai, Tiruchy, Karur, Vellore, Madurai, Dindigul, Sivaganga, Coimbatore, Salem, Namakkal, and Puducherry. During these operations, officials seized 825 documents, 11 electronic devices, and three bank locker keys. Simultaneous searches targeted the premises of current and retired officials, as well as contractors, including two partners of a private infrastructure company in Tiruchy, Yembal, and Thiruvakudi.
Enforcement Directorate Dossier and Supreme Court Ruling
The current investigation builds upon technical findings previously shared by the ED. Investigating under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the central agency communicated details of an estimated Rs 4,730-crore illegal sand mining operation to the state authorities. The ED utilised technical assessments from IIT Kanpur and other central agencies, using drone surveys, Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) techniques, bathymetric surveys, and satellite imagery to evaluate the scale of extraction.
Information collected during the PMLA investigation was formally shared with the state police head under Section 66(2) of the Act. In February 2024, a Supreme Court bench comprising Justice Bela M. Trivedi and Justice Pankaj Mithal stayed a prior Madras High Court interim order that had paused ED summonses issued to district collectors. The apex court affirmed that state officials remain bound by the provisions of the PMLA and that Section 50 authorizes the ED to summon individuals for evidence and information.
Broader Legal Actions Against Former Ministers
Durai Murugan is the fifth former minister from the previous DMK-led administration to become the subject of an anti-corruption investigation. Other former ministers facing legal proceedings or inquiries include:
- Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi, former School Education Minister, arrested on October 26 in relation to an alleged private school approval case.
- K.N. Nehru, former Municipal Administration Minister, facing investigations regarding alleged recruitment irregularities of Rs 634 crore and tender manipulation allegations of Rs 1,020 crore.
- E.V. Velu, former PWD Minister, booked by the DVAC over alleged road contract irregularities.
- V. Senthil Balaji, former Electricity Minister, subject to probes regarding alleged TASMAC procurement issues and a Rs 397-crore transformer tender case.
- K. Ponmudy, former Higher Education Minister, who has faced disproportionate assets proceedings.
The DMK has consistently denied the allegations raised in these various state and central investigations. Further DVAC proceedings and investigations into the sand mining case remain ongoing.
