The Hindu: Chennai: Thursday, 4Th December 2025.
Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Justice G. Arul Murugan say alleged encroachment of a public park by a private hospital is a serious issue
The Madras High Court on
Wednesday (December 3, 2025) came across a curious case of a “missing public
park” at Tiruvottiyur and directed the Chennai Collector as well as Greater
Chennai Corporation (GCC) Commissioner to conduct an inquiry and report to the
court within four weeks.
First Division Bench of Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Justice G. Arul Murugan said, a former councillor of the erstwhile Tiruvottiyur Municipality, now merged with GCC, had come up with a serious allegation of encroachment of an entire public park.
Therefore, the Judges directed the Collector to conduct an inquiry through an appropriate revenue department official and submit the report before the court on January 2, 2026. Similarly, the GCC was directed to file an affidavit explaining the steps taken by it pursuant to petitioner’s complaint.
In his affidavit, the petitioner G. Thondan Subramani (70) said he had served as a councillor of Tiruvottiyur municipality for two consecutive terms between 1996 and 2005. During that period, he asserted the existence of a public park named Kesavan park in the locality.
The petitioner said the attendance for the municipality conservancy workers used to be taken at the park during his tenure as the councillor. After the local body got merged with the GCC, the park had vanished from its location and instead a private hospital had cropped up on the land, he complained.
The petitioner said, that while responding to an application made by him under the Right to Information Act of 2005, the GCC had in 2023 conceded there was indeed a park named Kesavan Park in Tiruvottiyur but had informed the applicant that the park was not under the maintenance of the corporation.
On his part, the jurisdictional Tahsildar told the petitioner the land in question had been purchased by an individual in 1903 and her legal heirs had sold that property to a doctor in 2016. The doctor, in turn, had constructed a hospital on the property, the petitioner was informed.
Alleging it appeared to be a case of fake title deeds having been created for the purpose of encroaching upon a public park, the petitioner said, the revenue officials as well as the GCC had miserably failed to protect the public property. He urged the court to order restoration of the property into a park.
“l undertake to pay the costs if this public interest litigation petition is found ro be intended for personal gain or oblique motive,” the petitioner’s affidavit read.
Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Justice G. Arul Murugan say alleged encroachment of a public park by a private hospital is a serious issue
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| A view of the Madras High Court Building in Chennai. File. | Photo Credit: K. Pichumani |
First Division Bench of Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Justice G. Arul Murugan said, a former councillor of the erstwhile Tiruvottiyur Municipality, now merged with GCC, had come up with a serious allegation of encroachment of an entire public park.
Therefore, the Judges directed the Collector to conduct an inquiry through an appropriate revenue department official and submit the report before the court on January 2, 2026. Similarly, the GCC was directed to file an affidavit explaining the steps taken by it pursuant to petitioner’s complaint.
In his affidavit, the petitioner G. Thondan Subramani (70) said he had served as a councillor of Tiruvottiyur municipality for two consecutive terms between 1996 and 2005. During that period, he asserted the existence of a public park named Kesavan park in the locality.
The petitioner said the attendance for the municipality conservancy workers used to be taken at the park during his tenure as the councillor. After the local body got merged with the GCC, the park had vanished from its location and instead a private hospital had cropped up on the land, he complained.
The petitioner said, that while responding to an application made by him under the Right to Information Act of 2005, the GCC had in 2023 conceded there was indeed a park named Kesavan Park in Tiruvottiyur but had informed the applicant that the park was not under the maintenance of the corporation.
On his part, the jurisdictional Tahsildar told the petitioner the land in question had been purchased by an individual in 1903 and her legal heirs had sold that property to a doctor in 2016. The doctor, in turn, had constructed a hospital on the property, the petitioner was informed.
Alleging it appeared to be a case of fake title deeds having been created for the purpose of encroaching upon a public park, the petitioner said, the revenue officials as well as the GCC had miserably failed to protect the public property. He urged the court to order restoration of the property into a park.
“l undertake to pay the costs if this public interest litigation petition is found ro be intended for personal gain or oblique motive,” the petitioner’s affidavit read.
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