HC orders notice to TN in plea alleging encroachment on land reserved for Dalits

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court had directed the Tamil Nadu government to file its response on a plea alleging that a few private people had illegally occupied a land earmarked for landless Dalits in Ayyansuthasmalli village in Ariyalur district.

A vacation bench of Justice GR Swaminathan and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy passed the direction on hearing a petition filed by K Sanjay Gandhi, a resident of Ayyansuthamalli Village, Keezhapaluvur Taluk in Ariyalur district.

The petitioner sought a direction from the court to the district collector, revenue divisional officer, special tahsildar, Adi-Dravidar welfare department, Ariyalur to consider his representation seeking an action to remove the illegal occupancy made by K Panneerselvan and A Loganathan.

“During the year 2000 to 2014, the government has taken land in our village and made 24 plots to give the same to poor and landless Dalits under the Adi Dravidar Condition Land - a scheme to provide land for Dalits. While 20 plots were given deserved people, plots 21 and 24 were not provided to anyone. However, the same lands were illegally occupied by Panneerselvam and Loganathan, ” the petitioner submitted.

He further noted that a representation was made by him to the respondents to remove such illegal occupants from the AD condition land and it was not considered.

“Since the illegal occupants had started constructing buildings, I made a representation to respondents including AD welfare special tahsildar. Even as there are 20 to 30 poor daily people are yet to get the land, these occupants who belong to the ruling party had occupied these lands, ” the petitioner noted.

On recording these submissions, the bench asked the state to file the counter and adjourned the matter on June 13.