DMK says police arrested ‘Gem Granites’ Veermani because of court direction

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) on Saturday (September 26, 2026) alleged that the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK)-led government had arrested Veeramani, the owner of ‘Gem Granites’, only after the jurisdictional court took serious note of the sexual assault of children and the judge expressed displeasure over the matter.

DMK Rajya Sabha member Constantine Ravindran, who filed a complaint with the Election Commission of India (ECI) demanding action against Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay for linking the DMK to the case during the byelection campaign in Madurantakam (SC), claimed the TVK government had sought to cover up the case four times on the ground that there was no prima facie case.

“They arrested him on August 27 after the court expressed its displeasure on August 25,” the DMK MP claimed. “You must have seen the videos of the TVK [leaders] enjoying their moments with Mr. Veeramani. They tried to protect him and his family. He was arrested because of the pressure and direction from the court and not to get justice for the children,” Mr. Ravindran further claimed.

Asked why the DMK government had not taken action against Mr. Veeramani, he contended a complaint was filed in October 2025 and the government had to consider all aspects, as a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act could not be filed in the same manner as cases under other laws.

“The DMK government took action in the case in February 2026 after considering all the facts, but it was an interim government since the election had been announced,” he claimed. “The [current] government was in charge of the police department. If he is really keen on getting justice, Mr. Vijay could have taken action immediately after assuming office,” he contended.

Mr. Ravindran said DMK general secretary Duraimurugan had already filed a defamation case against TVK Ministers Aadhav Arjuna and Nirmal Kumar for linking the party to the case, and the court had directed that unsubstantiated allegations without prima facie evidence could not be used in an election campaign.

“But Mr. Vijay also levelled similar allegations without any regard for the court’s direction or the rules of the Election Commission. It is highly condemnable. We have demanded immediate action,” he said.

The DMK, he said, had also brought to the notice of the Election Commission the alleged use of government vehicles for election campaigning and the use of children in the campaign.