Madurai: The Madurai Bench of Madras High Court issued direction to the Madurai District collector to issue fresh notification for acquiring land for 68 Dalit families, who have been struggling for nearly 17 years to avail the land despite the government passing orders under Tamil Nadu Acquisition for Harijan Welfare Scheme Act, 1978.
A beneficiary - Selvam from Kuravakadi village near Usilampatti - filed a petition to implead himself in a writ appeal against the interim order before the division bench comprising Justices V Ramasubramanian and N Kirubakaran stating that though the government has issued 68 plots measuring three cents each for the Dalit families on February 17, 1999 they were not able to take ownership due to ensuing legal battle.
The special tahsildar for Adi-Dravidar welfare department had acquired the land through proper proceedings under Tamil Nadu Land Acquisition for Harijan Welfare Scheme Act, 1978.
However one of the land owners, Sonaimuthu Pillai, raised an objection claiming that income from the land is essential for the family and that the land was transferred to the appellants Nagarathinam and Indira.
Appearing for the petitioner, counsel R Karunanidhi told the bench the appellant challenged this in the same court but it was dismissed back in August 2012. However, till date, the Dalit families haven’t got house sites because the appellant got an interim stay against the court order.
Meanwhile, the petitioner Selvam also filed a criminal complaint against the appellant in December 2015 after he obtained information through RTI from the tahsildar, Adi-Dravidar Welfare Department, Usilampatti which clearly established that Nagarathinam and Indira had created fake orders cancelling the government acquisition of the land that was distributed to Dalit families, Karunanidhi said.
The appellant had created the document in such a way as if the officials had identified alternative land site for these families, he told the court.
The bench then directed the collector and the tahsildar, Adi-Dravidar welfare department to issue a fresh notification for acquiring the land for 68 Dalit families within two months, failing which the land will be reconvened to the land owner.
