Melaka govt hauled to court over reversed land approval for religious rites

MELAKA (Sept 17): The Indian Endowment Organisation has filed a judicial review application against the state authorities for rejecting a previously state-approved plot for Hindus to perform their final rites, reported Free Malaysia Today (FMT) today.  

In the application filed on Sept 1, the organisation wants the High Court to review the Alor Gajah district and land office’s refusal to give them the green light for the seaside site at Telok Gong in Kuala Sungai Baru, Masjid Tanah, 35km from the city.

The 1.8ha plot had been allocated for the project under the previous Pakatan Harapan (PH) government, led by chief minister Adly Zahari, two years ago.

The decision to set up a building for the Hindus to perform their obligatory rights to discharge cremated ashes into the sea was made on Oct 15, 2019 under the state executive council then.

In Feb 2020, the PH administration collapsed and was replaced by the Perikatan Nasional government.

The organisation’s first application submission to the Alor Gajah land office on Oct 28, 2020 was returned after two days, citing an incomplete application.

On Nov 6, it made a second application and was informed the application was being processed.

Subsequently, on May 19 this year, the land office responded with a written rejection of the application.

The association has since written twice to the land office and present chief minister Sulaiman Md Ali’s office, but no reply has been received so far.

“The decision to reject the application was irrational and unreasonable and the authorities took into consideration irrelevant factors”, FMT reported the organisation’s chairman R Sethuraman Reddy saying.

The organisation wants the land office decision to be quashed and the state executive council’s decision made in 2019 restored within 30 days of a court ruling.

Case management has been fixed on Sept 27 before a High Court senior assistant registrar.

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