CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has slammed the Thanjavur collector for imposing conditions for taking necessary action to remove encroachments from temple tank in Kumbakonam and for the disturbing language he has used in a communication with a law officer. A division bench of Justices R Subramanian and Abdul Quddhose has remarked that he is ‘unfit’ to hold the post.
The remarks were made recently while issuing orders on a contempt of court petition filed by advocate “Elephant” G Rajendran regarding action for removing the concrete structures raised by traders by encroaching upon the bank of the temple tank belonging to Sarangapani temple in Kumbakonam.
“Further, it is to be pointed out that the language used by the district collector in the letter addressed to the special government pleader is quite disturbing. The district collector made eviction of encroachments conditional on allotment of alternative space which shows that he is unfit to be a district collector,” the bench said in the order.
The bench directed him to depute a district surveyor to survey the land around the tank and submit the findings to the joint commissioner of Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments, Mayiladuthurai.
Directing the authorities to complete the survey within six weeks, the court ordered the joint commissioner to initiate action for evicting the encroachers and submit a report to the court within two weeks.
Elephant Rajendran filed the contempt petition seeking to punish officials for failing to take action to remove encroachments from temple land based on a 2018 court order. He had submitted that traders had encroached upon the bank of the Portramarikulam and raised concrete structures, thereby causing inconvenience to the devotees who used to walk around the tank.
Hearing of case against min’s acquittal adjourned
Chennai: Justice N Anand Venkatesh of Madras High Court on Monday adjourned the hearing of a suo motu revision case initiated against the acquittal of Minister for Higher Education K Ponmudy in a disproportionate assets case to September 9. The principal district and sessions court of Vellore acquitted Ponmudy and his wife P Visalakshi in the case on June 28 last year.