Date:11/11/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/11/stories/2008111160590500.htm

Kerala - Kochi

HMT land deal: hearing adjourned

Kochi: A Division Bench of the High Court on Monday adjourned to Friday the hearing on the HMT land deal case. When the Bench comprising Chief Justice H.L. Dattu and Justice K.M. Joseph took up the case on Monday, the Advocate General produced a sketch of the land in the possession of HMT and also the land sold by HMT to the Mumbai-based realtor. The sketch was made after conducting a resurvey of the land. The court had directed the District Survey Superintendent to conduct a survey to find out whether the 70 acres of land sold by the company formed part of the excess land surrendered by the company.

Meanwhile, the petitioner, State Human Rights Protection Centre general secretary Joy Kaitharath filed an affidavit saying that the survey was not properly carried out.

There was every chance of error being made in the sophisticated method adopted for conducting the survey. In this method, the exact position of the terrain and land in the survey would not be available.

The petitioner also complained that he was not given preliminary information about the procedure adopted in the conduct of the survey.