Criminal action initiated against Sub-Registrar in Thoothukudi district, says Minister

‘Measures will be taken to cancel the registration of over 1,500 acres of land’

P. Moorthy

A Sub-Registrar in Pudukottai in Thoothukudi district had been suspended and criminal action had been initiated against the official, said State Minister for Commercial Taxes and Registration Department P. Moorthy.

Speaking to reporters after distributing welfare assistance to beneficiaries here on Friday, he said the Sub-Registrar registered over 1,500 acres of land in the name of an individual without verification of records. Following a complaint, senior officials, led by the District Registrar in Thoothukudi, conducted an inspection on May 12 and preliminary inquiries revealed that the Sub-Registrar had committed an offence.

The land in Siruthapatti and neighbouring villages reportedly belonged to a private agro-based unit. Though the unit management had submitted relevant records with a court order obtained in Tirunelveli district in its favour, the official registered the land in an individual’s name on May 4. “We have just initiated the inquiry. The records have to be thoroughly examined,” he said in reply to a pointed query.

The Minister further said Chief Minister M.K. Stalin had categorically stated that those who committed an offence, whoever they might be, would not be spared. Hence, action would be taken as per law and measures would be taken to cancel the registration, he said.

Annamalai’s demand

When asked about BJP State president K. Annamalai’s demand to withdraw the order of the revenue authorities in Tiruvarur district naming a street after former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi, Mr. Moorthy said the State BJP should first engage itself in some productive ways.

The Union government owed GST compensation dues to Tamil Nadu. Mr. Annamalai could influence the Centre to release the dues. Similarly, the State Assembly had passed a resolution twice seeking NEET exemption in the larger interest of the students of Tamil Nadu, and the BJP leader could go to Delhi and get the approval for the Bill, he said.

Mr. Moorthy said in the last one year, the State government had distributed welfare assistance to the tune of around ₹300 crore to about one lakh beneficiaries in Madurai district alone. The Commercial Taxes and Registration Department earned a revenue of a little over ₹1 lakh crore for the State exchequer, he replied to another query.

Collector S. Aneesh Sekhar and Sholavandan MLA Venkatesan spoke on the occasion.