CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has ordered maintenance of status quo in the matter relating to eviction of residents of Sri Shanmuga Nagar at Thiruverkadu by revenue officials of Tiruvallur administration.A bench of Justices M Sathyanarayanan and P Rajamanickam granted the interim relief on a plea from Sri Shanmuga Nagar Residents Welfare Association last week. Without going into the merits of the claim projected by the petitioner, the judges said they are granting liberty to the members of the petitioner association to make a challenge to the eviction order dated January 5, 2006, by preferring individual appeals before the Tiruvallur District Revenue Officer (DRO) within four weeks.
Upon receipt of the same, the DRO should entertain the appeals, if the papers are otherwise in order without putting the question of limitation and thereafter consider and dispose them of on merits and as per law within a further period of 12 weeks and communicate the decision to the members of the petitioner association, the Bench said.The judges also made it clear that till then, members shall not create any third party rights in respect of the site and superstructures in question and shall not alter the physical features.
According to petitioner, its members are in peaceful possession of the property, purchased by investing their lifetime savings in 1990. They are in possession of all required documents, including valid title deeds and pattas. However, on January 5, 2006, revenue authorities issued eviction orders and initiated steps to dispossess them on the ground that the land was classified as ‘Cooum River’. No proper, sufficient and reasonable opportunity was given, though they were in possession of the lands in question and put up superstructures right from 1990, the association said.