Madras High Court Condemns Land Grabbing by Politicians

The Madras High Court has strongly criticized the use of political power and influence to seize land from vulnerable individuals, likening it to daylight robbery. The observation came during a contempt petition hearing involving a 65-year-old landlady, R. Girija, who accused a ward secretary affiliated with the ruling DMK party, S. Ramalingam, of refusing to vacate her property despite court orders.

The court emphasized that it is the state and district collector’s duty to ensure the security and dignity of senior citizens under the Senior Citizen Act. The police had eventually evicted the accused DMK leader from the petitioner’s property, but the court expressed concern over lengthy legal proceedings being exploited to evade eviction and rent recovery, urging the thwarting of such attempts.