HC pulls up advocate for plea to withdraw PIL on ex-Minister

Chennai, Dec 4 (UNI) Madras High Court today pulled up an advocate for filing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) for a public cause and then withdrawing it, in a case relating to former AIADMK Minister Thambidurai.

Mr Justices P D Dinakaran and P P S Janarthana Raja pulled up G R Swaminathan and directed him to pay cost of Rs 10,000 and said the name, Tamil Nadu State Legal Services Authority (TNSLSA), would be substituted in his place in the PIL.

Mr Swaminathan wanted to withdraw the PIL, seeking to declare unconstitutional and ultravires of a section of the Land Reforms Act, a state GO of June 17, 2002, permitting Adiyaman Educational and Research Institute (AERI) to use land for a period of three years for educational purposes.

AERI was founded by former AIADMK Minister Thambidurai and is presently chaired by his wife. It was granted use of land under Sec 37 (b) (2) of the Land Reforms (Fixation of Land Ceiling) Act.

The bench said the plea was unfortunate as the main petition had brought to light gross violation of constitutional and statutory rights by Mr Thambidurai when he happend to be Education Minister and Pro-Chancellor of Anna University.

Mr Thambidurai had denied affiliation to other private engineering colleges on grounds that they held land without permission, but had got himself government permission to utilise land.

UNI XR AA SI DB2034