CHENNAI : The Madras High Court on Monday directed the Ariyalur district administration to remove within two weeks the encroachments made by Chettinad Cement Corporation and others on the government poromboke and public land in Ariyalur district.If the corporate sector started encroaching upon the public land in the hope that they could violate the rule of law and get permission from the government in their own way, then the courts could not witness the trend as a mute spectator, Justice S M Subramaniyam observed.
The judge was disposing of a writ petition from the Chettinad Cement Corporation to quash the proceedings, dated February 10, 2015, of the Ariyalur Sub-Collector directing it to remove the encroachments on the ‘government poromboke, vari poromboke’ and ‘pond poromboke’ lands.“In this case, it is categorically admitted even by the writ petitioners that they have encroached on the government poromboke lands which were all waterbodies. There cannot be any leniency or misplaced sympathy in respect of such encroachments of the government land and the authorities competent are duty-bound to protect the same in all respects,” the judge said.
Referring to the frequent correspondence by the Corporation with the officials on different dates and the internal communications of the officials in the allotment of government land to it, the judge said that he was of the strong opinion that there was a possibility of collusion by the officials concerned to help the Corporation one way or the other. The court cannot have any objection to the development of an industry. But such industries cannot encroach upon the government land, which is not only a waterbody but also used as pathway by the villagers of that locality.
“Thus, the collusion in this regard by authorities is to be investigated by the State government. There is a possibility of corrupt activities also and the investigating authority must examine all these aspects based on the internal correspondences shared between the respondents for several years and thereby allowing the writ petitioner to enjoy the government land for about many years,” the judge added.
Activist in illegal cop custody, says father
Chennai : Alleging that the May 17 Movement founder-leader Thirumurugan Gandhi has been kept under illegal custody by the State police, even after a magistrate had refused to remand him, his father moved the Madras High Court with a habeas corpus plea on Monday. He wanted the court to pass an interim order granting bail to his son Thirumurugan. When the petition came up for hearing on Monday, the bench of Justices C T Selvam and Nirmal Kumar posted the matter for hearing on Tuesday (August 14).