Tamil Nadu Minister RS Rajakannappan has been accused of land grabbing by the Chennai-based anti-corruption NGO Arappor Iyakkam. The Minister allegedly encroached upon government poramboke land with the help of the Revenue and Registration departments, and registered it in the name of a private company – Deccan’s Fun Island and Hotels Private Limited – of which his three sons are directors and hold 99% stake. The alleged encroachment took place between 1991 and 1996, when he was a minister in the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) government.
The NGO has submitted complaints against the Minister and his sons Prabhu Kannappan, Kannappan Diwakar and Kannappan Dilipkumar with both the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) and the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, demanding immediate action. A leader of Stalin’s Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), Rajakannappan is currently the Minister for Milk and Dairy Development, Khadi and Village Industries Board.
The land under question – survey number 1353 in St Thomas Mount village– is located in Chennai’s GST Road and was declared as government poramboke by the Alandur Tahsildar in 2015.
Arappor Iyakkam convenor Jayaram Venkatesan said that between 1991 and 1996, the land was registered in the name of Deccan Fun Island and Hotels Private Limited, in parcels of 2 acres, 1.26 acres, and so on. During those five years, Rajakannappan was an AIADMK minister holding three portfolios — electricity, highways, and public works.
In 2001, the land was mortgaged by Deccan Fun Island and Hotels Private Limited, in which Rajakannappan’s three sons collectively hold 99% stake. Seventeen years later, in 2018, the mortgage was released.
“The land was mortgaged for a mere sum of Rs 7 lakh while its actual worth is several hundred crores. This makes it clear that this was just a ploy to create a series of parent documents on the government land,” Jayaram added.
On August 28, 2015, the Alandur Tahsildar told the Revenue and Registration departments that the land belongs to the government and that any registration of it in a private holder’s name should be cancelled with immediate effect. However, the departments didn’t comply, Jayaram said.
“According to Deccan Fun Island and Hotels Private Limited’s financial statements, they are a zero-revenue-making company. The said land, spanning over 4.3 acres, is registered in the company’s name and it is the address of the company in all its official documents. The market value of the land is Rs 411 crore. Yet the company’s assets are listed at Rs 25 lakh. All of this also makes us believe that Deccan Fun Island and Hotels Private Limited is a shell company,” Jayaram added.
The NGO further noted that on the same land, a flex of RPN Constructions – another company owned by Rajakannappan’s three sons – has also been erected.
Arapoor Iyakkam also found several other government lands in the St Thomas Mount region, including survey numbers 1448, part of 1356, and 435/1, have all been registered in private individuals’ names. “We therefore request the DVAC and the CB-CID to initiate criminal action against the sub-registrars, public servants, and private persons involved. We also request the Revenue department to immediately upload patta details of lands in St Thomas Mount online,” the NGO said.
Hours after Arappor Iyakkam levelled these allegations on Tuesday, October 22, the Minister sent a legal notice to the NGO.