CHENNAI: Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DV&AC) sleuths have booked four people, including a sub-registrar, for assisting a suspect and registering a property measuring 14.80 acres belonging to Murugan temple in Vadapalani in Madambakkam. The property is valued at 257.87 crore.
R Vivekanandan, the current sub-registrar of Velachery, is the prime accused in the case along with Kandaswamy Gounder and his sons K Mani and K Ramesh, of Koraikeni village near Vanur in Villupuram district. The DVAC officials booked a case under Sections 13 (2) read with 13 (1) (d) of Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, read with 120 (B) (conspiracy) and 420 (cheating) of IPC.
Vivekanandan had registered the property favouring the suspects when he worked at the office of the Sub Registrar, Selaiyur on deputation in 2017. His act caused a huge loss to the Vadapalani temple, which is under the control of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment (HR&CE) department, and 64 patta holders in Madambakkam.
Inquiries revealed that Vivekanandan colluded with the other accused and registered 14.8 acres of land – including 9.8 acres of land donated to Vadapalani Andavar Devasthanam by a devotee named Bangaraswamy Naidu in 1943. His legal heirs are still meeting a part of the daily expenditure of the temple.
Vivekanandan as sub-registrar, without verifying the ownership of the properties, executed the settlement deed based on a court decree on October 13, 2017. As per the patta ‘A ’ register of Madambakkam village, the properties for which he executed the settlement belonged to Sri Vadapalani Andavar and 64 other individuals. The total area of the property is 14 acres 80 cents, situated in a prime location of Madambakkam village. The approximate market value of the total property is 257.87 crore, as per the officials' website of the registration department in 2018 claiming one square feet costing Rs.4,000, as mentioned in the DVAC FIR.
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