Kombirei Land case Court keeps order reserved
Source: The Sangai Express / S Singlianmang Guite

Imphal, April 07 2015 : A division bench of High Court of Manipur comprising Chief Justice LK Mohapatra and Justice Kh Nobin today reserved the order in the case between Kombirei Housing Co-operative Society and Regional Research Laboratory (RRL) of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) .

The final hearing of the case was held under case number W/A/8 of 2001, Kombirei Housing Co-operative Society Vs Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) .

In 2001, CSIR (RRL) filed the case in the erstwhile Imphal Bench of Gauhati High Court against Kombirei Housing Co-operative Society's writ petition lodged in the same Court claiming ownership of 30 acres of land at Lamphelpat by 95 different individuals.

In 1996, CSIR (RRL) filed a case in the erstwhile Imphal Bench of Gauhati Court against the State Government and Kombirei Housing Co-operative Society for alleged forceful allotment of 30 acres of land at Lamphelpat belonging to CSIR (RRL) to 95 different individuals.

It may be mentioned that this 30 acre of land was provided to CSIR (RRL) for the establishment of the Regional Research Laboratory (RRL) in 1973 .

However, after 20 years in 1993, the Revenue Secretary of the State Government sent a letter to Regional Research Laboratory (RRL), Jorhat stating that RRL, Imphal can utilise only 5 acres of land of the 30 acres provided to them.

In 1995 when the present BJP Manipur Pradesh president Th Chaoba was the then revenue Minister, the State Government cancelled allotment of this 30 acre of land to CSIR (RRL) and transferred ownership to 95 individuals including Chaoba's second wife, father-in-law, daughter-in-law, bureaucrats and high ranking officers of the State Government under Kombirei Housing Co-operative Society.

However, the matter came to light only in 1996, when CSIR filed a case against Kombirei Housing Co-operative Society and the State Government in the Imphal bench of Gauhati High Court.

Following this case, The State Legislative Assembly formed a committee to probe the matter.

After the committee recommended the State Government to cancel this land allotment to 95 individuals under Kombirei Housing Co-operative Society and hand over the same to CSIR (RRL), these individuals filed a writ petition in the Imphal bench of Gauhati High Court claiming land ownership in 2000 .

In response to the writ petition, CSIR (RRL) filed another case against Kombirei Housing Co-operative Society in 2001 in the same Court.

The last hearing of the case was held today wherein the Division bench of High Court of Manipur High reserved the order.

It may be mentioned that CSIR (RRL) was set up to carry out research on various medicinal plants and oil yielding plants available in the State and in NE region in 1973 .

Two years later, the State Government allotted 30 acres of land to CSIR (RRL) in 1975 .

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