Madras HC sets aside ‘illegal’ land allotment, orders inquiry

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court quashed an order by an Adi Dravidar Welfare Department official allotting three cents of a playground at Vandavasi in Tiruvannamalai to a private individual and ordered the demolition of a construction made on the playground. Justice SM Subramaniam also ordered Tiruvannamalai collector to hold a detailed inquiry and take action, including disciplinary proceedings against officials involved in such illegalities.

The judge said if illegal allotment of government land by public officials is allowed, it will threaten the maintenance of public properties. The judgment was made on a petition filed by one A Sugumaran, seeking to quash the allotment order for the land. According to Revenue Department records, the subject property is classified as a playground of the Village Natham.

As per provisions of the Statutes and Rules, playgrounds cannot be utilised for the purpose of constructing buildings nor can any allotment be made in favour of individuals, the judge noted. The illegal act of permitting the allottee to construct a house on the playground by the district collector, the district Adi Dravidar Welfare Officer (DADWO) and the Special Tahsildar even after the filing of a writ petition in 2015 cannot be approved. They should have stopped the illegal construction at least when the petition was filed, he added.