CB-CID Directed To Submit Status Report On Palani Mutt Land Scam Probe
The petitioners contended that forged documents had been used to execute an illegal sale deed for the alleged fraudulent transfer of the 1.4 acre land belonging to the Dhandayuthapani Swamigal Mutt.
MADURAI: The Madurai bench of the Madras high court on Thursday directed the CB-CID to file a comprehensive status report on its investigation into the alleged Rs. 100-crore Palani mutt land scam, and adjourned the next hearing on a batch of petitions seeking transfer of the probe to CBI, to August 5.
A division bench, comprising Justices C.V. Karthikeyan and R. Sakthivel, heard the petitions filed by former Palani MLA K.S.N. Venugopalu Senapathi of the AIADMK and Palani municipality chairperson R. Uma Maheshwari Pradeep, seeking a CBI probe into the alleged fraud.
Another petition seeking similar relief, filed by Annapoorani Sivakumar, trustee of the Arulmigu Dhandayuthapani Swamigal Mutt, was also taken up by the bench after Justice L. Victoria Gowri, before whom it came up on July 29, directed that it be clubbed with the other petitions.
The petitioners contended that forged documents had been used to execute an illegal sale deed for the alleged fraudulent transfer of the 1.4 acre land belonging to the Dhandayuthapani Swamigal Mutt. Stating that it was in violation of the conditions under which the property had been endowed to the mutt and argued that the alleged involvement of public officials warranted an independent CBI investigation.
Opposing the plea, additional advocate general P. Thilak Kumar, assisted by additional public prosecutor R.M. Anbunithi, submitted that the CB-CID had made swift progress after taking over the investigation.
He cited the arrest of four key accused and the examination of 84 witnesses, besides the questioning of suspended Palani sub-registrar Justin Manikandan and several former officials of the revenue and Hindu religious and charitable endowments departments, as evidence of the probe's progress, and urged the court to allow the state agency to continue the investigation.
Recording the submissions of both sides, the division bench directed the CB-CID to submit a detailed status report on the progress of the investigation, the role of the officials under scrutiny and the evidence collected so far before considering the plea for a CBI probe and posted the next hearing to August 5.
