Chennai: Madras high court on Friday instructed Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) not to harass till Oct 15 former minister and DMK MLA E V Velu and his son E V Kumaran in connection with a case registered against them for causing a ₹8.22 crore loss to govt by illegally excavating soil from a lake for a DMK youth wing conference in Tiruvannamalai. Justice V Lakshminarayanan was hearing the anticipatory bail applications moved by Velu and Kumaran.When the pleas came up for hearing, state public prosecutor John Sathyan sought time to file a counter to the applications. The judge said, “If the matter is adjourned at the instance of the prosecutor, you must not harass the petitioners until then,” and adjourned the hearing to Oct 15.On Dec 14, DMK’s north zone youth wing conference was held in Tiruvannamalai. To level the conference venue, soil was allegedly illegally excavated from the nearby Malappambadi lake, covering an area of 12 acres and a depth ranging from 10ft to 23ft, causing a ₹8 crore loss to govt.Representing Velu, 76, advocate Rahul Balaji submitted that the case, registered on Sept 24, was based on a complaint filed by anti-corruption NGO Arappor Iyakkam on Aug 13, nearly 10 months after the alleged events in Nov and Dec 2025.“The FIR did not cite order, instruction, communication, payment or other act linking him to the alleged excavation. The conclusion that he might have facilitated the alleged offence was based on his relationship with his son, Kumaran, a director of the company that owns the land,” he said.
