Meenakshi temple land row: CCB seeks legal heir records

MADURAI: The City Central Crime Branch (CCB) police, who have intensified their probe into the alleged fraud involving a trust property worth about Rs 60 crore meant for the service of the Madurai Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple and Alagar Kovil, have written to the Pudukkottai district revenue authorities seeking details related to a legal heir certificate.

Police have registered a case against 19 persons, alleging that they conspired to secure patta transfer and property registration through fraudulent means. One of the accused, Ilayaraja, who allegedly acted as a power agent, filed a writ petition before the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court seeking a writ of mandamus directing the Madurai Corporation to survey and demarcate the property's boundaries.

In the petition, it was claimed that the property originally belonged to Dakshinamoorthy Durairaja Pallavarayar, who died in 1930 without any legal heirs, and that ownership was subsequently claimed through the heirs of Vellaichamy Pallavarayar, a Class-II legal heir who died in 1992, police sources said.

A legal heir certificate issued by the Karambakudi Tahsildar in Pudukkottai district in 2023 was cited as a key document in support of the claim before the Court. The CCB considered it important to examine the validity of the legal heir certificate issued by the Karambakudi Tehsildar. Hence, it has sent a communication seeking detailed information from the Pudukkottai district revenue authorities, including the basis on which the legal heir certificate was issued, the supporting documents relied upon, and the nature of the inquiry conducted by the revenue department before issuing the certificate.

Police have also sought copies of all records related to the issuance of the certificate, including the documents submitted, revenue records, and any prior court orders relating to the property.

The certificate listed Ramayee Ayeyar, Senthamizh Selvi, Prema, Rajkumar, Muthurani, Rajendran, Kuzhandhaiya, Pushparaj, Jothi and Geetha as the legal heirs of Vellaichamy Pallavarayar.

In an order passed in June 2026, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court recorded the petitioners' claim that they were the legal heirs of Vellaichamy Pallavarayar based on the legal heir certificate issued by the Tahsildar, Karambakudi, but did not examine or certify its validity. The Court directed the surveyor to conduct a survey and fix the property's boundaries after issuing notice to the petitioners, all legal heirs, rival claimants, if any, and adjoining landowners.

The High Court made it clear that the survey must follow due process, be completed within 12 weeks, and that police protection may be sought if required.