The State government on Thursday justified the takeover of 65 cents of property, including the Pathrakulam pond, which was under the possession of the Sree Vidyadhiraja Sabha at East Fort, Thiruvananthapuram, saying that the land had never been assigned to the Sabha at any point of time.
In an affidavit filed at the Kerala High Court, the government submitted that the property continued to vest with the government. The government had cancelled only the proposals for assignment of land to the Sabha. The cancellation order was passed after hearing the petitioner and considering their contentions. Besides, the Sabha was put on notice. The Sabha had also violated the conditions regarding payment of balance value of land and use of the land.
The contention of the petitioner that there was a Hindu temple in the property was not correct.
It was a small room where the statue of Chattampi Swamikal was placed and the petitioner had described it as a Hindu temple. In fact, Swamikal was a social reformer and not a deity.
‘Not informed’
The affidavit said that it was absolutely clear that the Sabha, to which the government proposed to assign the land, had transferred the property in favour of the trust even without informing the government or obtaining its consent.
Thus, the property, which was to be used for propagating the the teachings of Chattampi Swamikal, was now sought to be used for the benefits of the individual members of the Sabha.
The court had ordered that the status quo be maintained with respect to the takeover of 65 cents of property, including the Pathrakulam pond.
The interim order was passed on a writ petition filed by R. Ajay Kumar, secretary of the sabha, challenging the eviction of the sabha from the property and its takeover by the revenue authorities.
The affidavit was filed in response to the petition.