The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Court orders private notice to Minister

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Court orders private notice to Minister

Special Correspondent

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Thursday ordered private notice to Agriculture Minister S. Veerapandi Arumugam and two others in connection with a writ petition relating to two issues – forcible eviction of 31 families, and demolition of the Salem Collectorate building.

In his petition, S. Manoharan, all India general secretary, Indian Association of People’s Lawyers, Chennai, said 31 families belonging to the lower economic strata of society, were living on a 20,000 sq. ft area in Angammal Colony, Salem, for the past 80 years.

In January this year, a group of nearly 100 persons asked them to vacate. The residents lodged a complaint with the Pallapatti police station, but no action was taken. The group stayed back, put up thatched houses and continued to threaten the residents. Complaints to police authorities were in vain.

Following this, a writ petition was filed and the High Court granted liberty to the actual residents to lodge specific complaints with the Salem Police Commissioner, who was to enquire into the matter and book the offenders. The court also said that if any person was evicted by force, law and order authorities should restrain such action, if they were informed in time.

Twenty-five families made separate complaints. The group entered the land and put up a wired fence. A complaint was lodged with the authorities, but no action was taken.

Following a court order on a writ petition with regard to the Salem Collectorate building, which had a historic and cultural value, the petitioner sent representations to authorities enclosing a copy of the order.

Even as the court order copy was being made ready on July 8, workers started demolishing the building. When members of the Centre for Protection of Civil Liberties (CPCL), Salem, were returning after visiting the spot, a gang armed with deadly weapons attacked the CPCL office and ransacked it. False cases were registered against a couple of advocates and others. One Vairamani, a resident of Angammal Colony, was kept in illegal custody by a gang.

When the matter came up before the First Bench, comprising Chief Justice A.K. Ganguly and Justice F.M. Ibrahim Kalifulla, the government pleader submitted there would be no demolition of the Salem Collectorate building after the court passed an order of restraint. The Bench said such an affidavit should be filed within two weeks. Reply, if any, to it should be filed one week thereafter. The court posted the matter after four weeks.

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