Madurai: Police on Wednesday night arrested DMK area secretary Ramkumar (48) in connection with a case alleging the use of forged documents to usurp land belonging to the Srirangam Ranganathar Temple in Tiruchy. The land is said to be worth around Rs 50 crore.
The arrest came after the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court dismissed Ramkumar’s anticipatory bail petition. A similar petition filed by Vanitha, the then Srirangam sub-registrar who registered the document, was also rejected.
In his plea, Ramkumar claimed he had purchased the land for Rs 2.90 crore from family members of a retired judge from Puducherry, and that the registration was done only after a field inspection by the sub-registrar. He sought protection from arrest.
During the hearing, the petitioners argued that there were no documents to show the land belonged to the temple and that the temple administration had not raised objections at the time of registration. The government contended that there was no proof of the alleged money transaction and said custodial interrogation was necessary.
Separately, the Madurai Bench issued an interim stay on plot approvals granted to a private real estate firm for converting land of a trust formed for charitable works related to the Srirangam temple into residential layouts.
