HC questions allotment of huge extent of land to commercial institutions in TN

The Madras High Court has questioned the action by Tamil Nadu authorities in allotting huge extent of land to commercial institutions when steps were being initiated to evict encroachers from government lands in the state.

Justice S M Subramaniam made the observation while disposing of a petition from the Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), deemed university, seeking to order the state government to allot a further 41.92 acres of land at Katpadi in Vellore district to it.

Justifying the rejection order passed by the Revenue Secretary, the judge said, "the writ petitioner is a private institution. The petitioner had already been assigned with land by the government of Tamil Nadu to an extent of 98.80 acres from and out of the said assignment of the land, the writ petitioners are making profit by running the institution."