Had only initiated inquiry on plaint regarding Murasoli Trust occupying Panchami land, NCSC tells HC

The National Commission for the Scheduled Castes has told the Madras High Court that it had only initiated an inquiry in 2019 on a complaint regarding Murasoli Trust, associated with the DMK, having occupied 12 grounds of Panchami land at Kodambakkam in Chennai, and had not adjudicated on the matter

The National Commission for the Scheduled Castes (NCSC) on Tuesday told the Madras High Court that it had only initiated an inquiry in 2019 on a complaint regarding Murasoli Trust, associated with the DMK, having occupied 12 grounds of Panchami land at Kodambakkam in Chennai, and had not adjudicated on the matter.

In a counter-affidavit field before Justice Anita Sumanth, who was seized of a writ petition filed by the trust in 2020 to restrain the NCSC from proceeding with the inquiry since it had no authority to decide on the title of a property, the Commission left it to the High Court to pass any orders as it deems fit on the case pending before it.

After taking the counter affidavit on file and hearing Senior Counsel P. Wilson, for the trust, and Additional Solicitor-General AR.L. Sundaresan, for NCSC, the judge directed the High Court Registry to list the writ petition for final hearing on July 7. The counter had been filed by NCSC Director Sathu Ravivarman on behalf of the Chairman.

It stated that Panchami lands were those which had been assigned to the Scheduled Castes during the British regime. The lands were not supposed to be sold or alienated in any way. Therefore, on receipt of a complaint against the petitioner trust, the commission had initiated an inquiry for protecting the interests of the Scheduled Caste people.

Since the trust had immediately moved the present writ petition in January 2020 itself, no adjudication had taken place on the matter, the Director clarified.