The Madras High Court on Thursday directed the Chennai Corporation Commissioner and the executive engineer concerned to file affidavits stating as to why, despite several representations by a school in K.K. Nagar, they had not stopped the construction of a temple with its wall blocking a gate of the institution.
Passing interim orders on the school’s petition, the First Bench of Chief Justice M.Y. Eqbal and Justice T.S. Sivagnanam directed the K.K. Nagar Police Inspector to file a separate affidavit as to why he had not taken any action to prevent the closing of the school gate and raising a temple there when there was a specific direction by the Supreme Court that no temple or any religious structure should be constructed on the road.
In its petition, Springfield Matriculation and Higher Secondary School in Sector 9, 50th Street, alleged that a few residents of 49th and 50th streets had erected a small temple in the middle of the street in front of the school’s western gate. The school had sent representations and reminders to the authorities for removing the construction.
The Bench posted the case for further hearing on August 6. In the meantime, the police should post sufficient number of personnel to prevent any further mischief that may be committed, the court said.
Keywords: temple construction, encroachment
