CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has directed the state government to file a counter-affidavit within two weeks to a petition filed by retired IAS officer U Sagayam, seeking the restoration of his withdrawn police protection.

In his petition, Sagayam stated that while serving as the District Collector of Madurai, the High Court had appointed him as an inquiry officer to probe the granite scam. Acting on the court's order, he conducted the investigation and submitted a report estimating that illegal granite quarrying had caused a loss of Rs 1.11 lakh crore to the state exchequer.

He further noted that a case related to the scam is pending before the Madurai Special Court. The police protection provided to him since 2014, following the High Court’s directions, was withdrawn in 2023.

Sagayam contended that the withdrawal of security has prevented him from appearing and testifying as a witness in the ongoing case. He also claimed that he continues to face threats to his life and sought the restoration of his police protection through a petition filed on October 7.

When the matter came up for hearing, Justice AD Jagadish Chandira directed the Tamil Nadu government to file its counter-affidavit within two weeks and adjourned the case.