There Is a Question The Supreme Court Must Answer. SASTRA University
When Is an Encroachment an Encroachment? There is a question the Supreme Court must answer. Not a political question. Not a Tamil question. Not a Brahmin question. A very simple question about the rule of law: If government land is government land, does the identity or purpose of the person occupying it change the law? The SASTRA University land dispute has brought this question directly into public view. The dispute concerns about 31.37 acres of government land in Thanjavur . The Madras High Court ordered eviction and said that government land is public land and that public rights must be protected. It also rejected the idea that an encroacher can claim alternative government land as an absolute right. Then the matter reached the Supreme Court. In January 2026, the Supreme Court stayed the eviction and asked the State to consider the university's representations, noting the educational function of the institution. And on September 21, the Court went further in exploring whether ...
