The Madras High Court has directed the authorities to permit the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) to use the I, J and K stands at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai for the India-Pakistan one-day match on December 30.
Passing the interim order on petitions by TNCA, the First Bench, comprising Chief Justice M.Y. Eqbal and Justice T.S. Sivagnanam stayed until further orders the condition imposed by the Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic), Chennai, in an order dated August 25, 2012, not permitting the use of the three stands.
The police official is entitled to impose other conditions for regulating parking of vehicles during the match and the association should comply with all of them scrupulously.
The association should indemnify the authorities from any damage or claims that may occur because of the permission granted to them to use the stands.
The Bench made it clear that the above permission had been granted considering the peculiar circumstances and taking note of the importance of the event and the large number of cricket fans who are likely to witness the match. “This permission granted shall not be treated as a precedent for any future matches and shall be confined only to the match scheduled to be held on December 30, 2012.” The matter has been posted for further hearing after six weeks. The association had filed a petition for granting an injunction to restrain the authorities from interfering with the use of the three stands by the public for the one-day match.
The Bench said that all issues including the security aspect of the stadium had been cleared and recently delegates from Pakistan visited the stadium and expressed their views about the facilities available there. Further, it had been stated that several hundreds of visiting cricket fans from Pakistan are to witness the match. About 50 delegates from the neighbouring country, including the Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, are attending the match. Considering an earlier order passed by the Division Bench on May 24, and the SLP against the order was also dismissed by the Supreme Court and taking note of the importance of the event scheduled for December 30, the court said it deemed it appropriate that the association should be permitted to open the I, J and K stands for the public.
The Bench said since there was sufficient space for car parking in the stadium premises and the Government Victoria Students’ Hostel and the Chepauk Railway Station, it was of the view that a portion of the order of August 25 this year insisting upon the construction of a multi-level car parking should remain stayed until further orders.
