Tamil Nadu: Collector, tahsildar get jail for not complying with HC order

Madurai: The Munsiff court magistrate N.Suresh on Thursday awarded a six-week jail sentence for the Madurai district Collector and the Melur Tahsildar for not complying with a High Court order even after two years on a land patta issue. However, the district administration clarified that following the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court order dated December 23, 2014 to issue land pattas to the petitioners within two months, the revenue and land survey department had taken necessary action.

But the government pleader failed to submit the proper information to the Munsiff court when the case was heard today, sources claimed.Hussian Mohammed and Jawahar Aali, the sons of Ayyadurai Rawther from Kottampatti in Melur Taluk, filed a petition in the Munsiff court in 2004 seeking to survey their land based on sale deed and issue separate pattas. But the court disposed of the case.

Following this, the petitioners filed an appeal in the Sessions court in Madurai and also before the division bench of Madras High Court. The High Court passed an order directing the then district Collector and the then Tahsildar to conduct survey of the land and provide separate pattas to the petitioners within two months. As the authorities failed to comply with the order even after two years, the Munsiff court today directed the arrest of the Collector and Thasildar and to keep them in civil jail for six weeks. The district administration decided to file an appeal in the high court challenging this order.