MHC notices on order to vacate burial grounds

Chennai, Oct 8: Madras High Court has issued notices to the Coimbatore District Collector and the Assistant Executive Engineer of the Public Works Department (Irrigation Sub-division) on petitions seeking to quash the latter's order directing the Annur Town Panchayat and Annur Dakni Sunnath Masjid Jamath Committee to vacate burial grounds in the village.

Admitting the writ petitions, a Division Bench comprising Justices T Sudanthiram and K Kannan, issued the notices returnable by a week.

In her petition, Annur Town Panchayat President S Vasanthamani submitted that the burial grounds maintained by the panchayat and the mosque were on the corners of a 'Eri Poromboke' land and were in use for several years.

The Collector had sanctioned Rs 1.23 lakh in 2005 for constructing a cremation shed on the burial ground maintained by the panchayat.

The Assistant Executive Engineer had, all of a sudden, last month issued notice to the petitioners to vacate the burial grounds.

The Jamath Committee, in its petition, submitted that the order passed by the PWD was arbitrary, illegal and against the principles of natural justice.

UNI