MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Thursday ordered an interim stay against the dispossession of parcels of land from 130 residents of Chinna Udaippu village for the Madurai Airport expansion.
A bench of Justices MS Ramesh and AD Maria Clete passed the interim order on a joint petition filed by the residents, challenging the eviction proceedings initiated by the authorities in November. It further directed the state government to file a counter before the next hearing on December 19.
As many as 258 residents from the village had filed a similar petition last month. In the petition, a single judge had ordered an interim injunction on November 20, restraining the government from evicting the residents. However, the government started issuing eviction notices to the residents under Sections 4(2) and 4(3) of The Tamil Nadu Acquisition of Land for Industrial Purposes Act, 1997 from November 26. Challenging the same, the residents moved the court again.