TIRUPUR: The Hindu religious and charitable endowments (HR&CE) department has issued a notice demanding Rs 450 crore as rental dues for the
Kangeyam
Combined Court Complex.
The notice, issued by Kangeyam HR&CE assistant commissioner
Kannadasan, irked the judiciary, which shot back stating that the land housing the court complex does not belong to the department.
It all started when the court administration wrote a letter to the department, seeking 10 acres near the Sivanmalai Temple to construct residential quarters for judges. Replying to the letter, Kannadasan said in his correspondence dated October 9, 2019, that the request cannot be acceded since there were rental dues pending for the court complex land. “The land on which the Kangeyam court complex stands belongs to the department. But the judiciary has failed to pay rent for it” he said.
Shocked over the claim, the principal district judge S Alli sought a detailed explanation. Kannadasan wrote back stating that Rs 450 crore was pending as rental due between July 14, 2012 and December 31, 2019.
The judge summoned land documents and held an inquiry with revenue and HR&CE officials and said Kannadasan was wrong.
Inquiries revealed that the .020 hectare land housing the court complex was owned by C
Kumarappa
Gounder and Thulasi Naicker till 1932, when the government acquired it. In 1999, a government order was passed allotting the land to the judicial and agriculture department. Subsequently, the land was given to the district sessions court.
When contacted, Kannadasan stood his ground and said that he was right in issuing the notice. But he said he does not have enough records to prove that the land belongs to the HR&CE department.
Meanwhile, senior HR&CE officials expressed embarrassment over the incident. “I don’t know why Kannadasan wrote such a letter without having any records. The department will conduct an inquiry into the issue,” a senior officer told TOI.
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