HC restrains Tasmac from awarding tenders for shops, bars

CHENNAI: Despite allowing the state to proceed with the process of floating tenders for Tasmac liquor outlets attached to the bars, the Madras High Court restrained the state-run company from finalising and awarding the tenders.

Justice Anita Sumanth passed an injunction on hearing a batch of writ petitions, including one filed by V Senthurapandi, a resident of Virugambakkam.

The petitioners sought a direction from the court to quash the August 2 notification of Tasmac asking the people who hold land to provide space for new successful bidders to run the bars attached to the Tasmac liquor outlets.

According to the petitioner Senthurapandi, he was a successful bidder to run the bar with a Tasmac liquor shop in the city.

“In order to run the bar, I got land for lease. However, the Tasmac management sent a notification demanding that I should surrender the space for a third party to run the bar. I did not enter any agreement with Tasmac and the agreement was only with the shop to share the space on my land. Hence, Tasmac cannot force me to give the land to a third party who would emerge as a successful bidder,” the petitioner noted.

Recording the submissions, Justice Anita Sumanth directed Tasmac’s standing counsels K Sathishkumar and P Arumugarajan, to take notice for the respondents and seek some time to obtain instructions and file counters. The judge directed Tasmac to file a counter on August 26.

“While the process of the tender shall proceed as scheduled, there shall be no award of the tender, which shall be subject to a decision being taken in these writ petitions,” the judge noted and adjourned the matter to August 30.