HC bans registration of unauthorised layouts, unapproved plots

The Madras High Court today ordered that registrations or re-registrations of unauthorised layouts, unapproved plots or conversion of agricultural lands into house sites should not be made until further orders.
The First Bench comprising Chief Justice Indira Banerjee and Justice M Sundar gave the order on a batch of impleading petitions seeking to relax the September 9, 2016 ban imposed by the court on such registrations.
The court then gave the order on writ petitions by advocates VBR Menon and "Elephant" Rajendran
The bench today said that it would decide the matter at a special sitting on May 4 and 5.

In September, the court had imposed a blanket ban on registering unapproved plots or converting farm lands into housing plots without following norms. It also held that the registering officials would be personally liable for violation of the order.
However, on March 28, a bench headed by the then acting Chief Justice Huluvadi G Ramesh permitted the resale of unapproved housing plots while modifying the September order.
However the bench today restrained the officials from registering such plots till May 4, saying it was not inclined to permit registration of unapproved plots by authorities.
The bench made it clear that the interim order passed by the court on March 28 was subject to the outcome of the writ petitions.