CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Monday granted the state eight weeks to file a counter affidavit in a public interest litigation seeking retrieval of 3,500 acres of alleged government land in Naduvattam village in the Nilgiris district.
A first bench comprising Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G Arul Murugan granted the time after the state sought additional time to file its response and adjourned the matter for further hearing.
The petition was filed by Tamizhaga Vazhvurimai Katchi president and former Panruti MLA T Velmurugan, who sought to quash an order passed by the revenue secretary on May 15, 2025, rejecting his representation seeking recovery of the land allegedly occupied by Mahavir Plantations, a Kochi-based tea estate company.
The petition alleged that Mahavir Plantations claimed ownership over nearly 3,500 acres in Naduvattam and had even obstructed the construction of a government school at T R Bazaar.