The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has directed the Karur Collector to give an undertaking/assurance to the effect that there would be no fresh or re-encroachments on a water body in Muthalaipatti, Karur district. A father and son duo were hacked to death in 2019 for exposing the encroachment in the water body.

A Division Bench of Justices M. Sathyanarayanan and P. Rajamanickam took cognisance of the State’s submission that whatever encroachments were found on the water body were removed, except for a temple. The temple has challenged the order of the High Court before the Supreme Court, the State said.

With regard to the probe into the murder case of the father-son duo, Veeramalai and Nallathambi, the State informed the court that chargesheet has been filed in the case. The matter was pending for trial and there was a delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic situation. Adequate police protection was granted to the members of the family, the State said.

The court took cognisance of the fact that originally, the water body had a water-spread area of 198.42 acres, during the British rule. But it had now reduced to 15.72.5 hectares as the government had granted house site pattas and established a State seed farm.

The court adjourned the hearing in the case to September 10 for filing status reports.