CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has issued notice to the Murasoli Trust and CBI to submit their response to a public interest litigation (PIL) petition seeking a probe by the central agency into the alleged illegal activities of the Murasoli Trust and land grabbing charges.
The first bench of Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G Arul Murugan granted two weeks time for replying to the petition filed by K Venkatachalapathy, a BJP functionary of Tirunelveli district.
The petition raises the issues of occupation of land by the trust and the newspaper run by it, Murasoli, generating huge revenue through advertisements issued by the state government and conflict of interest as Chief Minister M K Stalin and Deputy CM Udhayanidhi Stalin hold key positions in the trust.
It prayed for a direction for a CBI probe into the abuse of official position, misuse of administrative machinery or influence over statutory authorities and illegal activities that are being conducted under the aegis of the Murasoli Trust.
Citing a previous court order on the subject, senior counsel Dama Seshadri Naidu, representing the petitioner, noted that the current petition takes new grounds of veracity of the land document relied upon by the trust and certain other issues.
He also pointed out that the joint sub-registrar of Saidapet had communicated to the revenue authorities that the document relied upon by the trust was non-existent as per its records.
However, P Wilson, senior counsel, appearing for the trust, vehemently opposed the petition stating that the petitioner has suppressed the fact that he is a functionary of the BJP and termed the current petition as a ‘politically motivated’ one on a subject that was decided by a division bench.
Citing an earlier order of the court on the issue, the petition pointed out that the court had recorded that the patta was transferred in favour of the Murasoli Trust, represented by its managing trustee Udhayanidhi Stalin, as per the Permanent Land Register dated February 16, 2022.
The petition stated that the transfer of the revenue records in favour of a trust represented by a person occupying high constitutional and executive office in the state raises serious concerns regarding institutional neutrality and possible influence over administrative machinery.
Referring to a communication of the joint sub-registrar of Saidapet on a document relied upon by the trust that is non-existent as per the land records, the petition said the matter transcends a mere civil dispute and prima facie discloses commission of cognisable criminal offences.