Three Held in Rs 100 Cr Palani Tempe Land Fraud Case
The arrests mark a major breakthrough in the high-profile case involving a 1.4-acre plot at the foothills of the temple
Dindigul: The CB-CID arrested three individuals in connection with the alleged fraudulent registration of prime land belonging to a math affiliated with the renowned Palani Murugan temple, officials said on Wednesday.
The arrests mark a major breakthrough in the high-profile case involving a 1.4-acre plot at the foothills of the temple.
The property, currently utilised as a free parking facility for devotees and estimated to have a market value of Rs 100 crore, was fraudulently registered to private individuals for a mere Rs 2 crore earlier this month.
The transaction was carried out on July 6 despite a permanent endowment deed dating back to 1888 that dedicated the land solely for religious and charitable purposes, barring any commercial sale or transfer. The registration also bypassed explicit, written objections from the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) department.
The state government had earlier suspended Palani Joint Sub-Registrar Justin Manikandan and District Registrar Sasikala for proceeding with the illegal registration.
Manikandan, who is currently out on interim anticipatory bail granted by the Madras High Court, was subjected to a seven-hour interrogation by the CB-CID recently.
The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has already intervened and declared the controversial sale deed null and void.
Following public and political outrage, the state Director General of Police transferred the investigation to the Crime Branch-Criminal Investigation Department (CB-CID) on July 15.
As part of the ongoing probe, investigators have questioned over 80 people, including former temple authorities, retired revenue officials, and registration department staff, to uncover the wider network involved in the scam.
