HC asks state to submit land records of Murasoli Trust

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has directed the state to submit the revenue records of the land in which Murasoli Trust is constructed and adjourned the case against the Panchami land allegation.

Justice SM Subramaniam heard the case of Murasoli Trust, the mouthpiece of DMK, by its trustee RS Bharathi against prohibiting the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC), from proceeding with a hearing or adjudication complaint given by R Srinivasan, BJP state secretary.

Senior counsel P Wilson appearing for the trust contended that there is no material to prove that the land of Murasoli Trust is a Panchami land.

The counsel also submitted that the late chief minister J Jayalalithaa had once said in the state Assembly that there is no Panchami land in Chennai.

The NCSC is not the adjudicating authority hence it cannot decide the sale title of the land, said the counsel. It was also said that the land was purchased by Anjugam Publication and the sale deed with patta for the land has been submitted before the court.

The counsel also contended that the complaint given by Srinivasan has no locus standi as the complainant is not an SC. Further, the then vice chairman of the NCSC L Murugan is a politically biased person and he is now appointed as Union Minister of the State, hence the whole case is politically motivated.

The counsel cited Article 338 of the Constitution and contended that the report of any commission cannot be considered as a decree of the court.

The Additional Solicitor General (ASG) ARL Sundaresan appearing for the NCSC contended that the commission has the duty to investigate any complaint regarding the deprivation of SC people. The ASG also said that the impugned land is Panchami land and the commission has to investigate whether the SC people are deprived or not.

After the submission, the Judge directed the state to furnish the revenue records of the land and adjourned the matter to January 4 for further hearing.