The Madras High Court on Thursday adjourned to July 15 the final hearing in a case concerning the ownership of the land where the Murasoli newspaper office is located in Kodambakkam, Chennai.
The dispute stems from a complaint by BJP functionary Srinivasan to the National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, alleging that the office stands on “Panchami land” earmarked for members of the Adi Dravidar community. The commission had issued notices to the Murasoli management in November and December 2019 seeking an explanation.
Challenging the notices, the Murasoli Trust moved the High Court and sought to restrain the commission from issuing directions on the land’s ownership. The High Court had earlier directed the commission to issue fresh notice, conduct an inquiry and pass orders.
The trust filed an appeal against that direction. When the matter came up again before a bench comprising Chief Justice S.A. Dharmadhikari and Justice G. Arul Murugan, senior counsel P. Wilson for the trust argued that relevant documents had been traced and that a 2019 report by the Chief Secretary stated the land was not Panchami land. He also contended the commission had no authority to inquire into ownership and alleged the complaint was politically motivated.
Appearing for the commission, senior counsel Raghavachari submitted that there was no constitutional bar on examining the complaint and that the commission was not seeking to decide title, but only to conduct an inquiry into the complaint. The bench then posted the matter for final hearing on July 15.
