DMK chief's grandson Durai Dayanidhi surrenders in granite scam

Durai Dayanidhi, son of union minister for chemicals and fertilizers M K Alagiri, and grandson of DMK chief M Karunanidhi, today surrendered before a court in Melur near Madurai after having evaded arrest for four months in connection with an alleged multi-crore illegal granite quarrying operation.

Dayanidhi's surrender came after the Madras High Court on Monday quashed a non-bailable arrest warrant against him and granted him anticipatory bail.

Accompanied by a battery of advocates and DMK workers, he paid a personal security of Rs 10,000, while two persons stood as personal surety, at the court of Judicial Magistrate V Jaykumar.

The court directed him to appear daily at a Melur police station till further orders from Saturday. The Keezhavalavur Police station near Melur had originally registered cases against him under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 120(b) (criminal conspiracy), 447 (criminal trespass) and 420 (cheating), for allegedly quarrying illegally on government land.

The non-bailable warrant against Dayanidhi was ordered in October by the same magistrate before whom he surrendered today. Dayanidhi promptly went into hiding, and a police team was on the lookout for him.

Dayanidhi and 14 others are facing charges that firms owned by them had quarried sand and granite without the requisite clearances. All of them were granted anticipatory bail by the high court.