Kodanad estate: HC adjourns hearing of PIL to tomorrow

Chennai, June 11 (UNI) The Madras High Court today adjourned till tomorrow, further hearing of the Public Interest Litigation (PIL), seeking a direction to the authorities concerned to demolish the illegal and unauthorised construction put up in the Kodanad Tea Estate, allegedly owned by former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa and her close aide Sasikalaa.

A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice A P Shah and Mr Justice P Jyothimani adjourned to tomorrow, further hearing of the petition filed by Mr K M Raju, Kothagiri Panchayat Union Chairman, Kottnalli, to enable the Government Pleader Raja Kalifullah to get instructions from the government.

When the case came up for hearing, the bench asked the petitioner, ''why this PIL?. It could see the state government behind it. It will not entertain this PIL. No one was above law. If the state government action was correct, the law will take its own course. A similar petition was before a Single Judge against the state government which wanted to take action.'' Senior Counsel V T Gopalan, appearing for the petitioner submitted that till date the state government had not taken any action. If action was taken the petitioner would not have moved this petition.

Is the state government ready to show similar zeal with regard to unauthorised construction in the city, the Bnch asked.

Is the PIL directed against the government or any individual, the bench added and asked Raja Kalifullah as to what action had been taken.

Raja Kalifuallah said action had been taken by the state government and the government had called for some documents.

The bench asked ''how this PIL will lie.'' Mr Gopalan said the other matter before a Single Judge was totally different.

The bench said judges were not invited to encounter this type of cases in any other state. If there was any illegality, the law would take its own course, the bench added and posted the hearing to tomorrow to enable Raja Kalifullah to get instructions.

UNI