Palani Math land row: Municipality chairperson moves Madras High Court seeking CBI probe into fraudulent registration
Chairperson of Palani Municipality R. Uma Maheshwari Pradeep on Thursday filed a petition before the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court, seeking a CBI
Chairperson of Palani Municipality R. Uma Maheshwari Pradeep on Thursday filed a petition before the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court, seeking a CBI probe into the case pertaining to fraudulent registration of Palani math land. Describing herself as a devotee who had a genuine interest in the protection and preservation of the math’s properties, she said the land had been subjected to encroachment and unauthorised occupation by private individuals over the course of several decades. Though departmental action, including suspension, was initiated against some Registration Department officials, the role of the supervisory officers and other public servants involved in the processing and registration of the document had not been effectively examined in the criminal investigation, she said.
Besides, the Division Bench of the High Court, which declared the sale deed null and void, had recorded that fraud was evident at every stage of the transaction, from preparation and presentation of the instrument to registration. “The criminal investigation must consequently extend to the complete chain of persons who prepared, financed, presented, processed, facilitated and completed the fraudulent registration. The enormous disparity between the true value of the property and the consideration recorded in the instrument raises a serious question as to whether the document reflects a genuine transaction between the parties,” she said.
She said the probe must trace the complete financial trail, including the source of ₹2 crore, banking transactions, cash withdrawals and deposits, undisclosed considerations, intermediaries, accomm- odation entries, beneficial ownership, and persons who may have funded or directed the transaction. The possibility of cash dealings, benami arrangement, informal transfer of funds or hawala transactions must be examined, she said. “The Ministers in charge of the HR and CE and Registration departments publicly described the occurrence as a mistake, lapse or inadvertent act before completion of the investigation into the larger conspiracy.
No material, preliminary report, electronic audit, financial inquiry or department finding forming the basis of such conclusion was disclosed,” she said. The matter came up for hearing before Justice L. Victoria Gowri on Thursday under the caption ‘Numbered subject to maintainability’. The judge directed the Registry to place the matter before the appropriate bench after getting necessary orders from the Administrative Judge.
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