DMK functionary Ramkumar has been arrested in connection with allegations that a ₹50 crore piece of land belonging to the Srirangam Ranganathar Temple was fraudulently registered using forged documents, as reported in Indian Express Tamil.
The land, measuring around 7,515 square feet and located near the Srirangam Government Hospital, is reportedly owned by the Sri Ranganathar Temple. A complaint was recently lodged alleging that the property was illegally appropriated in 2022 by creating and using forged documents.
The complaint is said to have been filed under the guidance of Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Minister Ramesh. Following the complaint, a case was registered against six people, including DMK functionary Ramkumar.
Ramkumar had approached the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court seeking anticipatory bail in the case. However, his petition was dismissed by the court.
Following the dismissal of his anticipatory bail plea, the police arrested Ramkumar. According to his relatives, he was travelling by car towards the Madurai Bench of the High Court when the police intercepted the vehicle and took him into custody.
The arrest has now raised the possibility of the investigation widening to include the document registrar and other government officials allegedly involved in the registration of the disputed property. There are also expectations that the probe could examine the role of a former HR&CE Minister in connection with the case.
Ramkumar, who has been arrested in the alleged ₹50 crore temple land fraud case, is also said to have been closely associated with former HR&CE Minister P.K. Sekar Babu.
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