Quick Summary: The State of Tamil Nadu's appeal against K.R. Lakshminarasimhan about taking land for helping the Adi Dravidar community in Tiruvannamalai was resolved with the court ordering payment under the 2013 law.
This case is about a disagreement over land between the State of Tamil Nadu and K.R. Lakshminarasimhan. The land was taken to give free home sites to the poor Adi Dravidars without homes. The process, which started in 1996, faced many legal challenges over the years.
The process began in 1996 under a law for helping Harijan welfare schemes. But K.R. Lakshminarasimhan challenged the announcements, leading to several court decisions canceling the process due to mistakes.
The State, represented by Mr. P. Arunkumar, argued that K.R. Lakshminarasimhan was thought to be absent and notices were sent to others because of wrong assumptions about his status.
"The process of taking the land was completed, as the interested parties were not present, and a decision was made on 29.10.2007."
K.R. Lakshminarasimhan, represented by Mr. M.S. Krishnan, claimed that the process was invalid because he was not properly informed. He was wrongly thought to be dead and thus did not take part in the proceedings.
The court, led by Justices S. M. Subramaniam and Mohammed Shaffiq, found that the process broke the rules of fairness. Notices were sent incorrectly, and K.R. Lakshminarasimhan was actually alive and had opposed the land-taking repeatedly.
Even though there were mistakes in the process, the land had been given out and houses built for the Adi Dravidar community. The court decided not to undo this but ordered the State to pay K.R. Lakshminarasimhan under the 2013 law.
"We direct the State Government to determine compensation in accordance with the 2013 Act within a period of four weeks."
The judgment balances the rights of the landowner with the needs of the community, ensuring payment for K.R. Lakshminarasimhan while keeping the housing benefits for the Adi Dravidar people.
