The Madras High Court on Friday wanted to know why legendary music composer Ilayaraja should not be permitted to meditate just for a day at a sound recording theatre, from where he had been composing and recording music for more than 35 years, situated inside Prasad Digital Film Laboratories here.
Justice N. Sathish Kumar raised the question after senior counsel P.S. Raman, representing the musician, told the court that his client was not interested in pursuing a civil suit against the owners of the film laboratory if he was permitted to meditate at the recording theatre just for a day and then take away his belongings.
Senior counsel P.H. Arvindh Pandian and advocate Abdul Saleem, representing the landlords, told the court that they had absolutely no objection to Mr. Ilayaraja taking away his belongings. They, however, sought time till Monday to get instructions from their clients on the plea seeking permission to meditate.
During the course of arguments, Justice Kumar told the counsel for the defendants that it is the culture of Indians to treat even their enemies with compassion and respect. When such was the case, why shouldn’t an accomplished artist such as Mr. Ilayaraja be not allowed to visit a theatre to which he was emotionally attached, the judge asked.
He granted time till Monday for the counsel to get instructions from their clients on the request made by the plaintiff. In his plaint, the musician stated that he had been in possession of the sound recording theatre for more than three decades on the basis of an oral understanding between him and L.V. Prasad, the founder of the laboratory.
However, now the founder’s legal heirs were trying to evict him and had denied access to the theatre, he complained.
