MADURAI: Hearing a batch of PILs challenging the State’s decision to unblock the restriction against registering 3,085 acres of inam lands connected to four temples in Karur district, the Madurai Bench of the Madras HC on Wednesday directed the registration department not to register the lands.
A bench of justices P Velmurugan and KK Ramakrishnan gave the direction by taking serious note of the allegations made by the litigant, A Radhakrishnan of Salem, that despite the pendency of the PIL, steps were being taken to register a portion of the lands on Wednesday.
The case was adjourned to November 24. Radhakrishnan alleged that the above lands were protected from unlawful alienation through a ‘prohibitory module’ under Section 22-A of the Registration Act, 1908. However, the Karur collector issued an order on July 9, recommending that these lands be unblocked following representations from 3,390 individuals who were ‘encroaching’ on the lands.
Based on this, the HR and CE commissioner and other authorities compelled the fit persons of the four temples to withdraw their requests for prohibition, rendering the above lands vulnerable to alienation without any statutory sanction, he added.
Stating that the above orders infringe upon the property rights of Minor Idols and require immediate intervention of the high court, he requested the court to quash the orders.
