Patta land can’t be burial ground: HC

CHENNAI: No patta land can be used as a burial ground as per Tamil Nadu Panchayat Act, the Madras High Court has clarified. The court was disposing of a plea which sought a directive to the Collector to exhume a body buried in a patta land and shift it to a burial ground.

In his petition, Babu of Nochili village, Tiruvallur, mentioned that while there is a separate burial ground in the village, one Jagadeshwari illegally buried her deceased husband’s body in a patta land near his. He also accused the respondent of having an ill motive to grab the land as the respondent had made frequent attempts to usurp properties.

When the case came up for hearing before Justice M Dhandapani, the respondent’s counsel said the land where the body was buried does not belong to the petitioner and the body was buried with the permission of the landowner.

After the argument, the justice ordered that even if the landowner permits, the body cannot be buried in a patta land as per the Panchayat Act. The court also mentioned that if there is no burial ground in the village, such land can be used as a burial ground only with the permission of the District Collector. The court ordered that the body be exhumed and buried again in a burial ground within one week and directed the police to provide adequate security for the smooth conduct of the same.