Madurai, Sept 4:
The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has imposed an interim restriction on the registration of around 21 acres and six cents of land in Srirangam, valued at about ₹600 crore, as residential plots.
The property is located in Thimmaraya Samuthiram village in Srirangam taluk and is linked to a trust established for carrying out religious activities connected with the Ranganathaswamy Temple and other temples.
The court passed the interim order while hearing a petition filed by Subramanian of Vadipatti, who alleged that the trust-owned property was being dealt with in violation of the conditions under which it was held.
According to the petition, income generated from the property was intended to be used for religious and temple-related activities. The property was not supposed to be sold or purchased, and the trustees were responsible for maintaining it.
The petitioner alleged that the land had subsequently been registered in favour of private individuals using forged documents. He further claimed that those who acquired the property were attempting to convert it into housing plots and sell them.
The petitioner sought cancellation of the registrations relating to the property and protection of the land belonging to the trust.
The case came up before Justices C V Karthikeyan and Sakthivel. After hearing the matter, the judges ordered that the Srirangam Sub-Registrar should not register the property if it was converted into residential plots and offered for sale.
The court also directed the Commissioner of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department and the Trichy District Registrar, among other officials, to file their responses in the case.
The interim order effectively puts a halt to further registration of the disputed land as housing plots until the court examines the claims and responses of the authorities.
The property, measuring more than 21 acres, has been valued at approximately ₹600 crore, making the dispute significant from both the religious-property and financial perspectives.