Chennai, Aug 14:
The Dindigul district police has slapped a fresh case against Sub-Registrar Justin Manikandan, who was suspended and arrested in connection fraudulent registration of Palani Temple Mutt land, and five others, and arrested two of them in yet another fraudulent land registration at Ayakudi in the district by using forged documents.
The cases were registered on Wednesday evening and coincided with the dismissal of Justin’s bail plea by a Judicial Magistrate-1 court.
Acting on a complaint from incumbent Palani Sub-Registrar Ms K.Easwari alleging that a private land was fraudulently transferred using forged documents and registered on July 7 a day after the Palani Mutt land was registered, the fresh case was registered against Justin.
Cases were booked against Justin, M.Mani (64) of Komarapalayam in Coimbatore, who had allegedly sold the land using fake documents, and one K.Kandasamy who had purchased it and another person Vijayakumar–a witness to the seller–and two others.
After registering cases against the six people, police arrested Mani and Vijayakumar last evening, produced them before a court and remanded in judicial custody.
Reports said Mani had presented a sale deed to the sub-registrar’s office in Palani, asserting ownership of a 1.4-acre vacant piece of land. He also claimed that the land was his ancestral property and that he is the legal heir, having acquired ownership rights through a will registered on February 2, 1969. Under these circumstances, Mani sold the property for Rs 9 lakh to K Kandasamy (87), a resident of Palani.
Although the land’s actual market value is estimated to be several crores, it was registered at Rs 9 lakh. Mani also provided a legal heir certificate along with other necessary documents, including his Aadhaar and birth certificate and the registration process was done by Justin Manikandan on July 7.
Meanwhile, the Registration department officials after a detailed verification dismissed reports that it was a temple land and confirmed it as a private property which was said to be worth Rs two crores. They also found that fake documents were used to transfer the ownership of this land and that its registration was illegal, following which a fresh case was booked against Justin Manikandan on Wednesday.