Mura- soli Trust, associated with Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, of being in possession of over 12 grounds of Panchami land at Kodambakkam in Chennai. Justice Anita Sumanth asked Addi- tional Solicitor General AR.L. Sundaresan to get instructions from the NCSC after Senior Coun- sel P. Wilson, represent- ing the trust, requested the court to call for a sta- tus report from the com- mission. The ASG readi- ly agreed to ascertain the fate of the complaint

Panchami land row: HC asks NCSC for the status of complaint against Murasoli Trus

The Madras High Court on Monday directed Na- tional Commission for the Scheduled Castes (NCSC) to disclose by June 13 the status of a complaint lodged with it by a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) functionary in 2019 accusing Mura- soli Trust, associated with Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, of being in possession of over 12 grounds of Panchami land at Kodambakkam in Chennai. Justice Anita Sumanth asked Addi- tional Solicitor General AR.L. Sundaresan to get instructions from the NCSC after Senior Coun- sel P. Wilson, represent- ing the trust, requested

the court to call for a sta- tus report from the com- mission. The ASG readi- ly agreed to ascertain the fate of the complaint because more than three years had elapsed since it was lodged by R. Srinivasan of the BJP.

Mr. Wilson told the judge that the NCSC had issued summons to the trust in December 2019 when L. Murugan, in- cumbent Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, was serving as its vice-chair- man. Hence, the trust had moved the High manth. Court in January 2020 alleging bias and politi- Ical motive behind the summons. The trust had sought to restrain the commission from adjud- icating upon the title of

the property. Then, Jus- tice C.V. Karthikeyan had restrained the com- mission from giving a finding on the title of the property though he al- lowed the inquiry to proceed and asked the trust to submit its de- fence. “We appeared be- fore the commission and its chairman him- self said that this com- plaint is not maintaina- ble. Therefore, Your Lordship may ask for a status report from the chairman,” Mr. Wilson requested Justice Su-nder

He also said the court could call for a report from the State Revenue Department on the clas- sification of the land af- ter he includes it as one of the respondent.