The Villupuram Principal District and Sessions Court has acquitted former DMK minister K Ponmudi, his son Gautham Sigamani, and five others in the red sand quarry irregularities case, citing lack of sufficient evidence and unreliable documentation.
The case was registered in 2012 by the Villupuram District Crime Branch against eight individuals, including Ponmudi, his son Gautham Sigamani, and associates Jayachandran, Rajamahendran, Sadhanandam, Kothakumar, Gopinathan, and Lokanathan. The charges related to alleged illegal mining of red sand from a government quarry in Poothurai village near Vanur between 2006 and 2011, as reported in Dinamalar.
The prosecution had alleged that 2,64,644 lorry loads of red sand were extracted beyond permitted limits, resulting in a loss of ₹28.36 crore to the state exchequer. The quarry had been leased to private operators, and it was claimed that the operations were carried out with the backing of Ponmudi during his tenure as minister.
The trial, which went on for several years, saw examination of 57 witnesses. However, over 30 witnesses turned hostile, significantly weakening the prosecution’s case. One of the accused, Lokanathan, had died earlier due to illness, as reported in Tamil ABPLive.
In the red sand smuggling case against Ponmudi, 33 out of 57 witnesses, including several key ones have turned hostile and changed their statements. It almost feels like a textbook example of how a case can fall apart, something one might say the DMK has mastered. #Ponmudi #DMK pic.twitter.com/KM1ByHk1Wq
— Harish M (@chnmharish) April 2, 2026
Judge Manimozhi, who had reserved the verdict on 2 March 2026, delivered the judgment on 2 April 2026. The court held that the prosecution failed to submit sufficient and acceptable documentary evidence. It also noted that the quarry site was already a low-lying area that had been levelled, undermining the claims of illegal extraction.
Based on these findings, the court acquitted Ponmudi, Gautham Sigamani, and the remaining accused.
All seven accused were present in court at the time of the verdict. Following the judgment, Gautham Sigamani was seen leaving the court premises in tears.
The prosecution was represented by advocate Karthikeyan, while advocate Anantha Narayanan appeared for the defence.
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