Court seeks details on lifting of registration ban
The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has directed the Tamil Nadu government to file a response in a case challenging the lifting of a registration ban on land linked to four temples in Karur district.
PIL alleges illegal removal of curbs
The petition, filed as a public interest litigation by Salem-based Radhakrishnan, said 3,084.95 acres across 15 villages—stated to belong to the Kalyana Pasupatheeswarar temple (Karur), Balasubramaniyaswami temple (Pugazhimalai), Raveeswarar temple (Kuppusipalayam) and Vikrutheeswarar temple (Venchamangoodalur)—had earlier been placed under a registration ban. It alleged that the Karur Collector, through an order dated July 9, lifted the ban without prior approval from the HR&CE Commissioner and the government, and sought cancellation of the order.
State cites old pattas under Minor Inams Abolition law
Appearing for the state, Advocate General P.S. Vijayanarayan said many individuals had been granted inam lands even before Independence and that ryotwari pattas were issued in private names in 1965 and 1967 under the Minor Inams Abolition law. He said the lands had been enjoyed for long periods and sold across different times, and argued that the petitioner was a third party with no locus to maintain a PIL.
Bench asks who holds the land and basis for decision
The Bench of Justices C.V. Karthikeyan and R. Sakthivel questioned whether temple administrations were consulted before lifting the ban and asked whether any temple-owned land remained. Counsel for the temples said the temples had about 15,000 acres in total and that the ban was lifted only for 3,084.95 acres. The court directed the Revenue Secretary, the Commercial Taxes and Registration Secretary, the HR&CE Commissioner and the Karur Collector to file replies by July 29 detailing who holds the lands and the basis for lifting the ban, and adjourned the matter to August 11.
