Register · No. 27
U. Sagayam (Ubagaram Pillai Sagayam)
IAS, Tamil Nadu cadre, 2001 batch, Retired 2021
25transfers, as of Oct 2020 in 30 years of service; reports range from 24 to 26. 7 on the ribbon below, 4 of them documented.
- Documented
- One report
- Years with no move on record
Summary
U. Sagayam, a Tamil Nadu officer promoted to the IAS in 2001, was transferred about 24 times in 23 years by 2014. His best-documented clash is the May 2012 Madurai granite report, which estimated losses of over Rs 16,000 crore and was followed four days later by his move to Co-optex; police later registered dozens of FIRs, and prosecutions against 180 persons were still pending before a Madurai special court in 2023. In 2014 he was moved twice in two days after reported friction with Textiles Minister Gokula Indira. The state government gave no reasons for these transfers and, in 2017, called his court-commissioned loss estimate erroneous and rejected a CBI probe.
Counts include pre-IAS state-service years. TNM 2014: 24 in 23 years. TNM 2020: 25 in about 30 years. Wikipedia: 26 in the first 29 years.
On the record
Government officials were party to the crime.
Allowing these type of orders to survive even for a minute would demoralise the sincere officers.
The moves, and what came of them
Oldest first. Each fold is marked by how well the record holds it.
One report
Sub-divisional magistrate, Ootacamund (Ooty)
Early in his state-service career, Sagayam accused the Nilgiris District Collector of favouring large tea-estate operators and was relieved of his charge and transferred.
- Up against
- District Collector, Nilgiris (not named), Tea-estate operators
- Reported reason
- Wikipedia account; no contemporary news source found.
- The other side said
- None found.
19 years with no move on record here.
One report
Collector, Namakkal(transfer withdrawn)
He pursued village administrative officers who lived in towns instead of their villages. When VAOs and local politicians pushed for his transfer, more than 5,000 villagers protested and the move was withdrawn (Wikipedia).
- Up against
- Village administrative officers and local politicians Government: DMK (M. Karunanidhi, CM).
- Reported reason
- Wikipedia account; no contemporary news source fetched.
- The other side said
- None found.
- Outcome
- Transfer withdrawn.
One report
Collector, Madurai
Hindustan Times reports he was the Chief Election Commissioner's 'personal choice' to run the 2011 Assembly elections in Madurai, where he 'took on' Union Minister M. K. Alagiri; Karunanidhi complained to the Election Commission of 'emergency-like' conditions in Madurai. In September 2011 he issued summons to Alagiri's family over irrigation canals allegedly damaged by a family-owned engineering college (Wikipedia).
- Up against
- M. K. Alagiri, Union Minister and DMK leader, Madurai, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam Government: DMK until May 2011, then AIADMK (J. Jayalalithaa, CM).
- The other side said
- Karunanidhi's complaint to the EC (as reported by HT).
Documented
Collector, MaduraiManaging Director, Co-optex (TN Handloom Weavers' Cooperative Society)
On 19 May 2012 Sagayam sent a 13-page report to the Industries Secretary alleging that granite firms in Melur taluk, including Olympus Granites, PRP Exports and Sindhu Granites, had quarried far beyond their licences and encroached on government land, water bodies and land allotted to Dalits, and that 'Government officials were party to the crime'. He estimated the loss at over Rs 15,000–16,000 crore and recommended that state-run TAMIN do the mining. Four days later he was transferred to Co-optex, his 20th transfer in about 20 years per The Indian Express.
- Up against
- Granite lessees in Melur taluk, including PRP Exports (P. R. Palanisamy) and Olympus Granites, Private granite quarry operators; Olympus Granites was said to be part-owned by Durai Dayanidhi, son of DMK Union Minister M. K. Alagiri, Granite industry Government: AIADMK (J. Jayalalithaa, CM).
- Reported reason
- The Indian Express said the granite report 'apparently' led to his shunting out, and noted allegations that the firms involved included some linked to Alagiri's son and some owned by people close to the AIADMK.
- The other side said
- No official reason for the transfer was found. PRP later told the High Court the report was 'based on fiction' and counted waste stone as granite (W.P.(MD) 12441/2012).
- Outcome
- The report was leaked to the press in August 2012 (Wikipedia), after which police registered dozens of FIRs: the state told the High Court of 54 FIRs by November 2012, and the 2015 legal commissioner's report says 98 FIRs were registered in 2012–13.
- What became of the matter
- Prosecutions still pending in 2026; state disputes the loss estimate. His successor Anshul Mishra formed 18 inspection teams and filed complaints, but signed the last ones on 4 Jul 2013 and was transferred on 6 Jul 2013 (Madras HC, 12 Aug 2020). Sagayam's 2015 court report said the 2012 probe 'fizzled out'. A Melur magistrate acquitted P. R. Palanisamy and others in two complaint cases in March 2016 because the Collector did not appear; the High Court set that aside in August 2020 and remitted the cases to the special court. In June 2023 the High Court recorded complaints against 180 persons pending before the Madurai Special Court and asked for their expeditious disposal. In 2025 the special court summoned Sagayam as a witness by video link after he cited the withdrawal of his security and a threat to his life. Madras High Court (Madurai Bench), via Indian Kanoon, Aug 2020 Madras High Court, via Indian Kanoon, Jun 2023 The New Indian Express, Nov 2015 The Times of India, May 2025
Judgment M/s PRP Exports v. The Chief Secretary, W.P.(MD) Nos. 12441 & 12442 of 2012, Madras High Court (Madurai Bench), Justice Vinod K. Sharma, Nov 2012
The action of the respondents in sealing the administrative building, freezing of accounts of the petitioner and stoppage of quarry operations cannot be sustained in law. (The court also noted 'there are serious allegations of illegal mining worth of crores of rupees'.)
Judgment M/s P.R.P Granites v. State of Tamil Nadu, W.P. Nos. 20166-20167/2013 and 15584-15587/2014, Madras High Court, Justice S. M. Subramaniam, Jun 2023
The District Collector, Madurai, Thiru. U.Sagayam, I.A.S had submitted a report on 19.05.2012 to the Government stating that granites worth Rs.3,350 Crores were quarried by private lessees from Tvl. TAMIN's lease hold areas and Rs.16,338 Crores were illegally quarried from Government poromboke lands.
The respondents / accused are enjoying the order of acquittal for three years, even without a trial and they may intend to retain this favourable order of acquittal for some more time. … Allowing these type of orders to survive even for a minute would demoralise the sincere officers.
Documented
Managing Director, Co-optexCommissioner, Indian Medicine & Homeopathy; two days later Vice-Chairman, Science City
After he filed a police complaint over an assault on a Co-optex manager by men described as AIADMK workers, and refused the Textiles Minister permanent office space in the Co-optex building, he was moved twice in 48 hours. HT credits him with turning Co-optex around in two years; TNM put his count at about 24 transfers in 23 years.
- Up against
- S. Gokula Indira, Minister for Handlooms and Textiles, Tamil Nadu, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam Government: AIADMK (O. Panneerselvam, CM).
- Reported reason
- Hindustan Times, citing unnamed sources, alleged the minister forced the manager to withdraw his complaint and wrote that Sagayam 'was punished for taking on' her. The office-space dispute is reported as what he 'is said to have' done.
- The officer said
- He reportedly offered the minister his own office 'as and when needed' (HT).
- The other side said
- No official reason given; no response from the minister found.
Hindustan Times, Sep 2014 · The News Minute, Sep 2014 · The New Indian Express, Sep 2014
Documented
Vice-Chairman, Science CitySpecial Officer-cum-Legal Commissioner (Madras High Court), on deputation from Science City
On a PIL by activist 'Traffic' K. R. Ramaswamy, the Madras High Court appointed him legal commissioner to inspect mines across Tamil Nadu, over the state's objection that the probe was complete; he began in December 2014. On 23 November 2015 he filed a 624-page report finding that 84 private quarries violated licence conditions, estimating a revenue loss of Rs 65,154.60 crore (Rs 1.06 lakh crore with penalties) and recommending a CBI or SIT probe and a special court.
- The other side said
- In a 145-page rejoinder (October 2017), Chief Secretary Girija Vaidyanathan called the loss estimate 'erroneous', accepted 131 recommendations and rejected 67, and rejected a CBI probe: 'When the special officer/legal commissioner commended the steps taken by district administration, police and the government, there is no necessity to accept recommendation for CBI inquiry.' It said the report 'had not revealed any factual details of collusion of department officials with lessees'.
- Outcome
- CBI probe not accepted by the state; see the 2012 episode for the pending prosecutions.
Affidavit Tamil Nadu government rejoinder to the legal commissioner's report, filed by Chief Secretary Girija Vaidyanathan in the Madras High Court (as reported), Oct 2017
He had not assigned any valid reason in support of this recommendation.
(as reported) after the collector and police acted in 2012 on his earlier report, 'the probe fizzled out'
The New Indian Express, Nov 2015 · The New Indian Express, Oct 2017 · The News Minute, Oct 2020
6 years with no move on record here.
Documented
Vice-Chairman, Science City, ChennaiVoluntary retirement
He applied for voluntary retirement with about three years of service left; the government accepted it in January 2021. He had stayed at Science City for about six years after his court assignment.
- Outcome
- VRS accepted (New Indian Express, 6 Jan 2021).
The News Minute, Oct 2020 · The New Indian Express, Jan 2021
Sources for the count
Photo: Theni.M.Subramani, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain (per Commons; released by uploader on ta.wikipedia)