Dismissing the petitions, Justice T.Mathivanan said the confessional statement of the main accused in the case showed that others needed to be interrogated.
He said there was prima facie case to investigate going by the reports submitted by the Officials, including the District Collector.
The sections under which the cases were filed could be bailable, but several factors need to be brought to light in view of the seriousness of the complaint and vastness of the suspected illegal mining, the judge said.
Advocate General A.Navaneethakrishnan said the company partner P R Palanichamy had given a confessional statement that he owned 800 acres and a number of vehicles. The statement helped police to understand the modus operandi followed by him in the alleged illegal mining.
The surrender of the main accused was only a tactic to project himself as a law abiding citizen and it should not be a ground to be lenient to the five other accused who should also surrender, if they were not guilty, and face the trial, the AG said.
The illegal quarrying was not a small theft but planned swindling of granites worth several crores of rupees.
