PILs challenging land grab cells admitted

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has admitted two public interest writ petitions challenging an order dated July 28 this year of the State Home Secretary constituting 39 Special Anti-Land Grab Cells in the State, deploying 410 personnel at an outlay of Rs 27.71 crore.A division bench comprising Justices KN Basha and N Paul Vasanthakumar, which admitted the writ petitions from DMK MP R Thamaraiselvan and advocate G Devarajan, however, dismissed a similar petition from DMK Legal Wing secretary RS Bharathi. Bharathi contended that the GO was passed only for receiving complaints relating to the period between 2006 and 2011 and the same would amount to regime targeting. As such, the GO was nothing but the outcome of the arbitrary and mala fide exercise of power and politically motivated.Advocate-General A Navaneethakrishnan submitted that the authorities were investigating all the complaints irrespective of the period and political affiliation. Out of 15,900 complaints so far received, only 673 were registered of which just 69 persons belonged to the DMK.Recording and accepting AG’s submissions, the Bench observed that the pleadings raised by Bharathi were revolving around the interest of the DMK. There was no element of public interest.