MADURAI: Minister for Electricity C T R Nirmal Kumar on Saturday said a detailed investigation is needed into the alleged fraudulent registration of property belonging to the Palani Dhandayuthapani Swamy Temple Trust. He suspected the involvement of registration department officials, as “these cannot be done without their knowledge”.
The minister also targeted the DMK leadership, saying M K Stalin appears to have instructed his party men to stop criticising the BJP, indicating that they will go along with the BJP very soon.
Replying to media on a question on transferring th case to CBI, Nirmal Kumar said, “We needed a detailed investigation into the Palani fake document registration case. The issue cannot be treated as an isolated case. We suspect that similar fraud cases may have spread to other districts across Tamil Nadu in the past five years. In the Palani case, joint commissioner of HR&CE department had routinely objected to the registration of the Rs 100-crore land. The alleged fraud was carried out in a meticulous manner.”
“If needed, we will hold talks with the registration department minister and even a special cell to handle complaints can be opened. We are receiving complaints that fake land deeds might have been issued not only for temple lands but also for waterbodies, including lakes and ponds. We suspect the involvement of registration department officials, since without their knowledge, these cannot be done.” On DMK, the minister said they cannot contest alone in TN Assembly elections. They won’t get even 20 seats in any election. Only with the support of the Congress, the VCK, the Left parties and the IUML, they managed to capture power in Tamil Nadu in 2021.
