Madras HC dismisses petition on land allotment case

The Madras High Court dismissed a petition filed by Banumathi Thambidurai, wife of former AIADMK Minister M Thambidurai and the Managing Trustee of the Adiyaman Educational Trust in a land allotment case and directed her to pay the land cost to Tamil Nadu Housing Board (TNHB). In 1988, TNHB allotted 62 grounds of land to the Trust for constructing an engineering college at Hosur in Dharmapuri District at an affordable rate. In 1990, the TNHB issued a notice to the Trust, asking them to pay Rs 58 lakh to the board as land cost and asked them to use 50 per cent of the land as playground. Ms Thambidurai challenged the TNHB order in the High Court, as a Single Judge dismissed the petition, confirmed the TNHB order and directed the Trust to pay the revised land cost. In her petition, Ms Thambidurai contended that for the purpose of providing higher education to the poor people, the then government allotted lands at an affordable rate. She alleged that the DMK government had unleashed a political vendetta against her husband, who is a prominent leader and MP of the AIADMK and deliberately fixed a higher rate for the land. While dismissing the petition, a division bench comprising Justices Prabha Sridevan and C T Selvam, upheld the single judge order and directed the petitioner to pay the entire amount fixed by the TNHB by allotting 50 per cent of the land for the playground.