Chennai Corp should consider the renewal petition: Madras HC

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has directed the Chennai Corporation to consider the lease renewal of the land given to Karnataka Sangha to run a school.

The Karnataka Sangha moved the Madras high court against the Chennai corporation order to return the leased land, in which Karnataka Sangha runs a school.

The Chennai corporation had leased a land for 33 years to Karnataka Sangha at Thyagaraya Nagar, Chennai.

The lease expired in October 2019 and was not extended further. Later, the Karnataka Sangha reached the Chennai corporation to renew the lease of the land stating that a school is functioning in the land.

However the lease arrears of Rs 75.9 lakhs and service tax of Rs 13.66 lakhs have not been paid by the Karnataka Sangha to the Chennai corporation. Subsequently, the Chennai corporation issued an order to Karnataka Sangha to appear for the inquiry regarding the return of the land.

Justice N Anand Venkatesh of Madras high court has taken up the plea for hearing.

The counsel for the Karnataka Sangha said that the Chennai corporation did not take any action on the petition by Karnataka Sangha for seeking the extension of the lease and now the corporation is taking steps to acquire the land.

On the counterpart the Chennai corporation, informed in the court that the order issued due to the land was being used continuously without paying the lease arrears.

However, Karnataka Sangha opposed this and said that the entire lease arrears had been paid.

After hearing both the arguments the Justice N Anand ordered that the Karnataka Sangha pay all the arrears and the corporation should complete its investigation and come to a conclusion within eight weeks.

Further, the justice directed the corporation to consider the request for the renewal of the lease until then the status quo should continue, read the order disposing the case.