Chennai: The Madras high court has granted four weeks time to the state government to file a comprehensive report relating to the details of temples, churches and mosques which encroached upon government lands across the state.
Justice S.M.Subramaniam granted four weeks time while passing further interim orders on a petition from K.Ramakrishnan, after Special government pleader M.Maharaja and Additional government pleader R.Janaki sought time to file a comprehensive report.
In his petition, Ramakrishnan sought to remove the unauthorized construction in the name of Vinayagar Temple in Revenue Divisional Office, Coimbatore district.
The judge had on January 4 directed the authorities to file statistics regarding the existence of all such Temples, Churches and Mosques in an encroached public land, Poramboke lands, Water Bodies and Water Resources.
When the case came up for hearing on Tuesday, AGP R.Janaki produced a letter issued by the Principal Secretary to Municipal Administration and Water Supply department, dated January 8, 2019.
After perusing the same, the judge said in the letter, the Principal Secretary to MAWS has directed the officers to file the details/statistics of Temples, Churches and Mosques and other religious institutions, which encroached upon the government lands.
AGP Janaki submitted that all these particulars have to be collected from 125 Municipalities, 12 Corporations and 528 Town Panchayats coming under the MAWS department, across the state. Thus the authorities require some more time to collect the particulars and submit a detailed report. The particulars from all other departments including Home and Police will be collected by the competent authority and file a comprehensive status report. Hence the authorities require four weeks time. S.Doraisamy, counsel for the petitioner objected to the contention of AGP by stating that long adjournments were to be curtailed.
However, considering the volume of work, this court grants 4 weeks time to file a comprehensive report enabling this court to pass an elaborate order, the judge added.
