THE KOLLU THATCHU THOZILALOR MUNNETRA SANGAM (REG. NO. 117) REP. BY ITS PRESIDENT, SALEM Vs. THE GOVERNMENT OF TAMIL NADU, REP. BY ITS SECRETARY, DEPARTMENT OF LAND REVEUNE, MADRAS,

JUDGEMENT

(1.) THE petitioner/Sangam has filed the above writ petition seeking to issue a writ of mandamus, directing the second respondent to consider the representation dated 11 -7 -1994 given by the petitioner/Sangam and to assign the extent of lands as shown in the Annexures I and II filed herein, to the members of the petitioner/Sangam before assigning it to any other third party -outsiders who have no prior interest or claim in the lands.

(2.) IN the affidavit filed in support of the writ petition, it is stated that 263 members of the petitioner/ Sangam who are poor and landless labourers, directly depending on the cultivation of lands for their survival, were in occupation of the lands in question for a number of years. Therefore, they requested the lands to be assigned in their favour. They have also stated that neighbouring lands were assigned to number of other persons. Therefore, on the same basis, the members of the petitioner/Sangam may also be assigned the lands in question. Since the members' request to the second respondent was not of any use, the members of the petitioner/Sangam have filed this writ petition for the prayer set out above.