Mon Jan 13 08:37:29 UTC 2025: ## Madras High Court Orders Seizure of Public Land in Chennai
**Chennai, January 13, 2025** – The Madras High Court has ordered the Tamil Nadu government to reclaim 25.6 grounds of prime land in St. Thomas Mount, Chennai, that has been illegally occupied since 1902. The court imposed a ₹1 lakh fine on three individuals – E. Dhanapal, N. Poongothai, and P. Krishnaveni – who attempted to claim ownership based on disputed property documents.
The court dismissed the individuals’ appeal, citing evidence that their predecessors acknowledged paying “quit rent,” a payment typically made for occupying government land. Furthermore, the land is officially classified as state government property in the General Land Register. The court deemed the claim a deliberate attempt to seize government land.
Justice S.S. Sundar, authoring the verdict, noted multiple failed attempts since 1968 to obtain official land ownership documents for the property, as well as stalled eviction proceedings. The court directed the Kancheepuram Collector, District Revenue Officer, and Alandur Taluk Tahsildar to take possession of the land, using the Tamil Nadu Land Encroachment Act of 1905 if necessary, and submit a status report by February 3, 2025. The ₹1 lakh fine is payable to the Tamil Nadu State Legal Services Authority within four weeks.
First Piper 