M.Mahadevan v. the District Collector
Case brief
What is this about?
W.P.No.4952 of 2025 (with W.M.P. No.5498 of 2025); High Court of Judicature at Madras; decision dated 14.02.2025; M.Mahadevan v. District Collector and revenue officials, Dharmapuri; writ of mandamus under Article 226 to dispose statutory appeal dated 24.12.2024 under Section 10, Tamil Nadu Land Encroachment Act, 1905; stay sought under Section 10-B within the appeal; risk of dispossession/coercive action pending appeal; coercive action made subject to appeal outcome; merits left to Appellate Authority (District Collector, Dharmapuri); Government Advocate undertaking disposal on or before 14.03.2025; WMP closed as otiose; no costs.
What did the court decide?
Main writ petition disposed of: the statutory appeal dated 24.12.2024 is to be heard and disposed of by the first respondent (District Collector, Dharmapuri) on its own merits and in accordance with law; any coercive action is subject to the outcome of that appeal; the accompanying W.M.P. No.5498 of 2025 is closed as otiose; no order as to costs. (The four-week timeline, i.e., on or before 14.03.2025, was a submission on instructions by the learned Government Advocate recorded at ¶32, not an independent order of this Court.)