CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Monday granted the state government eight weeks to file a counter affidavit in a PIL seeking the retrieval of 3,500 acres of land in Naduvattam village, Nilgiris, alleged to be government property.
When the plea came up for hearing before the bench comprising Chief Justice SA Dharmadhikari and Justice G Arul Murugan, the State sought time to file a counter. The Bench adjourned the matter for further hearing after eight weeks.
The petition was filed by Tamizhaga Vazhvurimai Katchi (TVK) president and former Panruti MLA T Velmurugan. He sought to quash an order passed by the Revenue Secretary on May 15, 2025, rejecting his representation seeking recovery of the land allegedly occupied by Mahavir Plantations, a Kochi-based tea estate company.
In his plea, he said that during his visit to the Nilgiris, people complained that Mahavir Plantations, a Kochi-based company, was troubling villagers and genuine patta holders with the help of its men and the local police, blocking their paths and claiming ownership of large areas of both forest and non-forest land.
The petition alleged that Mahavir Plantations claimed ownership over nearly 3,500 acres in Naduvattam and had even obstructed the construction of a government school at TR Bazaar.
Citing documents obtained through the RTI Act, he claimed that the company's ownership claim was neither bona fide nor legally sustainable and sought directions to retrieve government, forest, and private patta lands from its alleged occupation.