Courts For Land Grab Cases
Even as CM Jayalalitha has opened up a new front to tackle illegal buildings— there are believed to be 1.5 lakh in Chennai alone— land grab cases have been mounting. Nearly 18,000 land grab cases have been filed since Jayalalitha came to power on May 16. If DMK leaders thought they were arrested in land grab cases so that she could take mileage before the bypoll and local body polls, they have another think coming because Jayalalitha plans to go the whole hog. In pursuance of that, five courts— initially to function in Tirunelveli, Krishnagiri, Salem, Erode and Tirupur— have been sanctioned by the Madras high court to try cases of land-grabbing.
Originally, the government had requested the high court to form 25 special courts for the exclusive trial of land-grabbing cases throughout the state, because cases have been increasing. Chief Justice M. Y. Eqbal, accepting the reasons justifying the constitution of these courts and has decided to create the courts in a phased manner and the five courts are just the beginning. The government has already issued orders for an increase in the strength of judicial officers, sanction of additional staff and other corresponding facilities for each special court, as proposed by the high court.
Family Problems
Even as union minister M.K. Azhagiri’s is caught in the swirl of allegations of land grab against his wife, Kanthi, and son, Dayanadihi, and with his daughter Kanimozhi’s long stint in Tihar jail and his grand nephews, the Maran brothers, in the eye of a storm after recently being raided by the CBI, it looks like former CM Karunanidhi has to brace himself for other members of his family being in the firing line too. While he is still coming to terms with Kanimozhi’s incarceration, there was news of a cheating case against Jyothimani, son-in-law of his Bangalore-based daughter Selvi.