The Madras High Court on Tuesday referred to its mediation and conciliation centre a dispute between acclaimed film musician Ilaiyaraaja and Prasad Studios over vacating Recording Theatre Number -1, known popularly as Ilaiyaraaja recording theatre, due to him having occupied it for more than four decades.
Justice V. Bharathidasan directed both the musician as well as the proprietors of Prasad Digital Laboratories at Saligramam to appear before the mediation centre on the High Court campus on December 9 and ordered the mediators to submit a report before the court, on the outcome of the talks, by December 13.
The interim orders were passed after hearing arguments advanced by senior counsel AR.L. Sundaresan on a civil revision petition filed by Mr. Ilaiyaraaja, seeking a direction to the XVII Assistant City Civil Court in Chennai to expedite the hearing of a suit filed against his forcible eviction from the recording theatre.
In the petition, filed through his counsel on record A. Saravanan, the musician claimed to have been in continuous and lawful occupation of the recording theatre for more than 42 years. It was used for recording more than 6,000 songs for over 1,000 movies, and it was still in active use by the petitioner.
However, since the studio owners were now attempting to evict him in the guise of developing the property, he had filed a suit against forcible eviction before the city civil court and also impressed upon interim orders. The trial court had been keeping the case pending for long without passing any orders and hence the present revision.
Stating that he was in possession of documents to prove his occupation of the theatre for over four decades,the petitioner said the city civil court should have granted an interim injuntion in his favour and ensured speedy trial of the suit.
On finding that it was a dispute fit to be referred to the mediation and conciliation centre, the judge decided to give it a shot before attempting to decide the case on merits. Only if the issue could not be solved through mediation, the judge would pass appropriate orders on the revision petition after hearing both sides.
