Following the failure to release the court-ordered compensation for land acquisition to the family of a former MLA even after a delay of three years, court officials on Wednesday initiated distraint proceedings to attach movable property in the office of the District Collector here.
However, following assurances by officials to court authorities that the amount would be settled by June 2, the distraint proceedings were temporarily stopped.
M. Sivanandam, son of former DMK MLA from Villupuram M. Shanmugam, and one of the landowners, said that 6.75 acres of land was acquired from his family by the Revenue Department and handed over to the Tamil Nadu Housing Board (TNHB) in 1991.
According to Mr. Sivanandam, the family was paid a paltry compensation contesting which the family approached the court in 2007.
Following years of litigation, a local court in Villupuram awarded a compensation of ₹39.36 crore to the family in 2018.
Subsequently, Sivanandam filed an Execution Petition in the court, after officials failed to pay the amount even after three years.
Armed with an order to initiate distraint proceedings obtained from the court in 2020, Sivanandam along with court officials on Wednesday came to the Collector’s office to seize the movable property.
Senior revenue officials convinced the court authorities not to go ahead with the proceedings and assured to settle the amount by June 2 following which the distraint proceedings were temporarily suspended.