A public interest writ plea has been filed in the Madras High Court to cancel the patta given to 0.53 acre of Natham land in Kattur village, Kudavasal taluk in Tiruvarur district in favour of former Chief Minister M Karunanidhi and his son M K Alagiri.
The first bench of Acting Chief Justice R K Agrawal and Justice M Sathiyanarayanan, before which the PIL from S Jaganathan of Thalathankudi village came up for hearing on Monday, reserved its orders on it.
Jaganathan submitted that Karunanidhi had purchased the land in question from one Khader Mohideen in April, 1953. After 46 years they obtained patta for the land only in 1999. As per a G.O dated October 14, 1988 Natham land could be given only to the poor. Karunanidhi had abused his power as CM in obtaining the land. The Kodavasal tahsildar, who had issued the patta, had no jurisdiction to do so. The power vested only with the local RDO, said the petitioner.
Karunanidhi and Alagiri had knowingly exploited and denied the lawful rights of the landless poor of the Kattoor village, petitioner alleged and prayed the court to quash the proceedings of the tahsildar and to initiate a probe into the matter.