At the foothills of Tamil Nadu’s sacred Arulmigu Dhandayuthapani Swamy Temple in Palani, a prime 1.40-acre property valued at over ₹100 crore became the target of an aggressive land-grabbing attempt. Executed on paper for a nominal sum of ₹2 crore, the fraudulent transfer exposed a calculating syndicate that exploited historical title ambiguities, court suppression tactics, and administrative transitions within the registration department.
Key Case Parameters At a Glance
| Property Parameter | Case Details |
| Location & Extent | 1.40 Acres (Town Survey Nos. 998 & 999, Ward 3, Block 25), Temple Foothills |
| Current Utilization | Free Parking Lot for Pilgrims (Reclaimed by HR&CE) |
| Market Value vs. Sale Price | ₹100 Crore Market Rate vs. ₹2 Crore Registered Sale Value |
| Original Deed Origin | 1888 Dharma Sasanam (Gift Deed) by Kuppusamy Maniyakkar to Thandapani Swamy |
| Investigating Agency | CB-CID (Crime Branch-Crime Investigation Department) |
Root Cause: Decades of Confusion & The Reclaim Trigger
The dispute surrounding this plot stems from a foundational clash between a 19th-century public religious endowment and parallel paper claims created by a private entity, further complicated by over 60 years of physical encroachments.
The Historical “Double Identity”
- The 1888 Sacred Endowment: In 1888, donor Kuppusamy Maniyakkar gifted the land to Thandapani Swamy to establish a religious mutt.
- The deed explicitly barred any sale, transfer, or commercial alienation, dedicating the land in perpetuity to serve Lord Murugan and incoming devotees.
- The Private Trust Claim: Over generations, individuals linked to the original lineage set up parallel documentation under a private name—the Thiruppugazh Swamigal / Dhandapani Swamigal Trust—claiming private management and ownership rights.
60 Years of Encroachments & The September 2025 Catalyst
For over six decades, the land sat heavily encroached upon by local shops, vendors, and informal occupants. This long-standing occupation obscured the state’s physical oversight and allowed private claimants to argue in court that the land was unmanaged.
In September 2025, after lengthy legal proceedings, the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department evicted over 20 encroachers, cleared the site, and converted it into a free parking facility for pilgrims.
As the plot was cleared the true land value of the plot was clearly exposed (est. ₹100 crore). The private trust realized that once the state built permanent temple infrastructure on the site, their paper claims would become useless. This created an immediate urgency for the syndicate to execute a quick paper transaction before the temple cemented its physical grip.
Anatomy of the Fraud: A Step-by-Step Breakdown
Once the land was cleared and its massive commercial value became visible, a private syndicate moved to manufacture paper ownership.
- Creating the Fake Trust Title: A private administrator, Murugadas, claimed management of a private entity named “Thiruppugazh Swamigal / Dhandapani Swamigal Trust” and executed a fraudulent deed transferring ownership to two buyers: Vellathurai and Sethupathi.
- First Rejection & Official Refusal Slip: In early 2026, the local Sub-Registrar Office (SRO) rejected the transaction and issued an official Refusal Check Slip due to pending objections from the HR&CE Department.
- Misleading the High Court: The perpetrators1 used the refusal slip to file a Writ Petition before the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court. Crucially, they suppressed facts and omitted the Mutt and HR&CE as parties. Unaware of the full context, a single judge quashed the refusal slip on April 10, 2026, directing registration “if documents were otherwise in order.”2
The Administrative Hand-Off (July 3 – July 6, 2026)
On July 3, 2026, regular Sub-Registrar S. Balasundar admitted the document relying on the court order. When Balasundar went on leave, In-Charge Sub-Registrar Justin Manikandan took over on July 6, assigned the official document number, and dispatched the deed under Section 47-A for undervaluation—completing the illegal transfer despite direct written prohibitions from HR&CE.
Perpetrators Identified & Key Roles
- Murugadas (Trust Administrator / Primary Seller): Allegedly executed the fraudulent sale deed by falsely claiming ownership of the temple land through the private “Thiruppugazh Swamigal / Dhandapani Swamigal Trust.”
- Vellathurai & Sethupathi (Private Buyers / Suspected Fronts): Named as buyers in the deed. Financial profiling indicates they lacked the capital for even the ₹2 crore price, pointing to benami operations on behalf of shadow financiers.
- Justin Manikandan (Sub-Registrar In-Charge): Public official who completed the illegal registration on July 6, 2026, bypassing HR&CE administrative holds and warnings. Currently under departmental suspension.
High Court Annulment & CB-CID Investigation
“The original court order was obtained by suppressing vital facts and bypassing the Mutt administration. The registration is declared null and void.”
— Division Bench of the Madras High Court (July 15, 2026)
Upon discovering the registration, the Palani Temple administration filed an urgent Division Bench appeal.
On July 15, 2026, the bench quashed the Single Judge order, invalidated the registration, and restored absolute legal title to the temple.
Multi-District CB-CID Raids & Seizures
The Tamil Nadu DGP transferred the criminal case (registered at Palani Adivaram Police Station for forgery, cheating, and conspiracy) to the CB-CID:
- Departmental Action: In-Charge Sub-Registrar Justin Manikandan was placed under immediate suspension.
- Multi-City Searches: Raids were carried out across Dindigul, Tirunelveli, Palayamkottai, and Villupuram.
- Seizure of 50+ Deeds: A 10-hour raid at Murugadas’s Villupuram residence yielded over 50 property records, draft power of attorney documents, identity cards, and financial records. These items were seized to determine if the syndicate has systematically targeted other public, mutt, or trust lands across the state.
Why Was the Fraud Attempted?
- Massive Price Arbitrage: Capturing a ₹100 crore prime asset at a nominal ₹2 crore price provided huge speculative profit potential.
- Benami Fronts: Financial profiling showed the named buyers lacked the financial capacity for even the declared ₹2 crore price, pointing to shadow financiers.
- Exploiting Institutional Silos3: Real estate racketeers frequently target mutt and trust properties, exploiting gaps between private trustees, local registrars, and state monitoring bodies.
- A perpetrator refers to a person who commits an illegal, harmful, or immoral act. ↩︎
- “If documents were otherwise in order.“ means: “Register this document, provided it meets all normal legal rules and requirements ↩︎
- Institutional silos refer to departments or organizations working in isolation from one another, failing to share vital information or coordinate efforts effectively. ↩︎