Govt land row: Madras HC stays panchayat leader's eviction order against Suddha Sanmarga Nilayam trust in Cuddalore

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Wednesday stayed an eviction order against the Suddha Sanmarga Nilayam trust, which had been passed by the panchayat president of South Seppalanatham village in Cuddalore district, who alleged that the trust was built on encroached land. He had directed the trust to vacate 1.56 acres of land declared as government waste land in the revenue records.

A vacation bench of Justices PT Asha and N Senthil Kumar directed the Cuddalore Collector to file a counter to the petition moved by R Selvaraj, secretary of Suddha Sanmarga Nilayam, Vadalur, Cuddalore, seeking to restrain the panchayat president from evicting the trust from the land and direct the state to grant a patta (title deed) in favour of the trust.

The petitioner submitted that the trust was founded 73 years ago for propagating the philosophical ideologies of Vallalar, and that the trust is operating orphanages, free boarding schools, and numerous educational programs for the upliftment of the downtrodden.

In order to establish a gurukulam and a sevashramam, the trust had requested the then Chief Minister Omandhur Ramasamy Reddiar for land, the petitioner said. Subsequently, in 1951, the state had differentiated large tracts of land in Seerankuppam village in Cuddalore, with various survey numbers, upon which an educational institution was later established, the petitioner noted.

The trust had also made another demand to the government to allot additional land adjacent to the already alienated land to the extent of 1.23 acres, the petitioner submitted. In 1969, the trust had paid Rs 13,586 to the state to transfer the title of the land, however, inadvertently, the titles were transferred for all the survey lands except survey number 130/2A3. The mistake went unnoticed by the trust, the petitioner claimed.

The newly-elected panchayat president of South Seppalanatham village had developed a grudge against the trust as many of his demands were turned down, claimed the petitioner. Hence, to cause nuisance, the panchayat president claimed that the survey land belonged to the government classified as 'tarisu', the petitioner submitted.

Against the eviction order issued by the panchayat president, the trust had filed a civil suit claiming ownership of the land. The suit is pending before the district munsiff court, Neyveli. In the meantime, the panchayat president had initiated eviction proceedings without any jurisdictional power, said the petitioner, and sought to restrain him from further proceedings.

The petitioner also sought the bench to direct the state to issue a patta in favor of the trust.

After the petitioner's submissions, the bench stayed the eviction proceedings and posted the matter to June 12, for further submission.