CHENNAI: Arappor Iyakkam, an anti-corruption non-governmental organisation, has filed a PIL petition in the Madras High Court praying for quashing the environmental clearance and planning permission granted to Brigade Enterprises Limited for construction of a multi-storey residential complex allegedly on the Pallikaranai marshland in Chennai. The petition was filed by managing trustee of the organisation Jayaram Venkatesan.
When it came up for hearing on Wednesday, the first division bench of Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Justice G Arul Murugan directed the Registry to tag it with another PIL already filed by an advocate belonging to the AIADMK on the same issue.
Senior counsel V Suresh, appearing for the petitioner, submitted that the construction site falls under the Pallikaranai marshland which has been declared a Ramsar site.
The senior counsel said the prayer in his client’s petition is different from the one in the other petition and he has some important documents to be submitted on the matter. The petition states that the Pallikaranai Marsh Reserve Forest Site - Ramsar Site - covers 1,247.537 hectares of land; of which, only 694.88 hectares had been handed over to the Forest department.
It prayed for the court to direct the government to hand over the remaining 552.66 hectares to the Forest department.
Court stays cancellation of licence in Coldrif case
Chennai: Justice N Sathish Kumar of the Madras High Court on Wednesday granted interim stay against the order of the assistant director of drugs control cancelling the drug licence of Indras Agencies Private Limited in connection with cases over the death of children after consuming Coldrif syrup in Madhya Pradesh. Directing the respondent authorities to file reply to the petition, the judge adjourned the hearing to January 21, 2026. ENS