The Madras High Court on Friday issued an order banning registration of plots and houses in unapproved housing layouts as well as conversion of agricultural land for non-agricultural use in an unplanned manner in Tamil Nadu.
“We direct that no registering authority in the State shall register any sale deed in respect of any plot in unauthorised layout or any flat/ building constructed on such plots,” said the First Bench of Chief Justice S.K. Kaul and Justice R. Mahadevan.
The Bench said the order was necessary to save the ecology and prevent flooding while simultaneously giving time to the State government to come up with legislative changes.
It then directed the Inspector General of Registration to circulate the order to all registering authorities (Sub-Registrars) in the State.
The interim directions were passed on a public interest litigation petition filed by advocate ‘Elephant’ G. Rajendran seeking a direction to the government to forebear the local administration from giving approval or permission to convert agricultural lands into housing layouts and forebear the Registration Department from registering such property.
The Bench expressed its concern over the absence of any provision for regulating conversion of agricultural lands that were uncultivated for more than three years.
