Land encroachment: Court issues notice to Chennai doctor

CHENNAI: A Kancheepuram district court has ordered notice to a doctor for allegedly encroaching a land and constructing a house on it.

Hugo John Gozamo, 74, from Kollam in Kerala alleged that Dr V Dharmalingam of Adyar in Chennai encroached his land measuring 6,450sqft in Pillaipakkam village in Sriperambudur taluk in June 2013.

After constructing a house, the doctor offered to pay the prevailing land price to Hugo. The doctor had to pay Rs 35.97 lakh, out of which, he paid Rs 5.5 lakh in advance, and promised to pay the rest in two months. After paying a total amount of Rs 10 lakh by April 2015, the doctor refused to pay the remaining amount.

Dharmalingam also constructed a building for manufacturing Siddha medicine on Hugo's land after entering into a joint venture project with the department of AYUSH.

Hugo then approached the second district court, which granted an interim injunction and restrained the doctor from letting out the property to any third party. The matter has been posted on November 2 for further hearing.