Chennai: The Madras high court has directed the Namakkal collector to issue a priority certificate to the son of a person who donated prime property to the state government for setting up the E.V.R. Periyar memorial samuthuvapuram.

While dismissing the appeal of the Namakkal collector, a division bench, comprising justices K. Agnihotri and M. Venugopal, said, “The single judge court, in his order dated January 6, 2014, had rightly considered the entire gamut of dispute and passed the order, which is just and proper, warranting no interference.”

Liyakath Ali, who owned 2 acres and 0.40 cents in Karkoodalpatti village, Namakkal district, donated an acre to the state on August 19, 2009 to build a Periyar memorial samathuvapuram. He later sold another 40 cents to the state government for Rs 50,120 on December 3, 2009.

Relying on a G.O. dated June 29, 1983, he submitted a request to the district authorities on May 19, 2010, seeking a priority certificate for his son to get employment in the government. As per the G.O., public sector undertakings may recruit, without reference to the employment exchange, at least one member of each family displaced by the acquisition of land for a public sector undertaking project if the land was the sole source of sustenance for the family.

The district authorities rejected the petition by an order dated July 21, 2010. Hence, Liyakath Ali filed a writ petition before the court, which directed the collector and revenue officials to issue the priority certificate to his son within a period of four weeks.

Allowing his petition, the court said, “Under the G.O., one member of a displaced family on account of acquisition of land for any projects of public sector undertakings is entitled to recruitment without reference to the employment exchange.”