MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of Madras High Court recently appointed an advocate commissioner to conduct an inspection at the Megamalai reserve forest area in Theni. A Bench comprising justices R Mahadevan and J Sathya Narayana Prasad directed the advocate commissioner to verify an allegation made by the State government, that a private resort is functioning illegally in the reserve forest area, and file a detailed report by the next hearing on November 23.
The Bench gave the direction while hearing an appeal filed by P Anandan, challenging an order passed by a single judge of the court in September this year. The single judge, through the order, had directed the removal of three resorts, which included a building owned by Anandan, operating illegally in the reserve forest. "As per the Tamil Nadu Preservation of Private Forests Act, 1949 and Section 2(ii) of Conservation of Forest Act, 1980, any forest land or any portion thereof cannot be used for non-forest purposes, without prior permission of the Central Government," the single judge had noted.
But Anandan claimed in his appeal that the building is only a labour quarter and not a resort as alleged by the authorities. To verify his claims, the judges appointed the advocate commissioner and adjourned the case.