Pleas against ‘encroachment’ dismissed

The Madras high court dismissed on Monday a batch of petitions by residents of Kaverirajapuram village in Thiruvallur district, about 90 km from Chennai, for re-invocation of rights on portions of anadheenam land (land abandoned by owners who do not pay taxes regularly or cultivate) allegedly encroached on by Karnataka chief justice PD Dinakaran.

“The Supreme Court collegium is already seized of the matter and the high court sees no reason to order a parallel inquiry by another authority,” justice K Suguna said.

Villagers of Kaverirajapuram and Tamil Nadu Vivasayigal Sangam (farmers’ forum) affiliated to the CPM and Thalam Charitable Trust have asked the government to reclaim the land allegedly encroached on by Dinakaran and redistribute it among Dalits and the landless poor of the village as per a Tamil Nadu government scheme.