Madras HC Closes Contempt Case After Officials Report Evicting Encroachers From Thiruvallur Government Lands, With One Land Exchange Pending

The petitioner sought contempt proceedings for alleged non-compliance with an order dated 2 February 2026 in W.P.No.42595 of 2025, which directed the authorities to inspect the relevant lands and take appropriate steps to remove any encroachments found.

In response, the State produced the District Collector’s instructions dated 14 October 2026, reporting that encroachments had been removed from the identified government poramboke lands, while an application for exchange of land concerning Survey No. 147/3 remained under process.

Section 11 of the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971, provides the basis for the contempt petition.

The underlying order required inspection and, if encroachments were found, appropriate steps for their removal.

The judgment cites no precedent or further legal test; it resolves the petition on the basis of the authorities’ reported compliance with that direction.

The Court considered the District Collector’s instructions, which set out the relevant land classifications and reported that the identified encroachments had been removed.

Although the proposed land exchange for Survey No. 147/3 was still under process, the Court treated the reported removal of the encroachments as sufficient compliance with the underlying order.

It therefore found no basis to continue the contempt proceedings.