CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has stated that courts cannot interfere with the policy decisions taken by the Tamil Nadu government.
The observation was made by the first division bench of Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G Arul Murugan on Monday while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) petition challenging the state government’s proposal to construct a Rs 1,200-crore new secretariat complex at Foreshore Estate. The PIL, filed by advocate R S Tamilvendan, was dismissed as withdrawn after the petitioner sought for it.
“Where is the power to the court to direct the state not to construct the secretariat in a particular site,” the bench asked the counsel for the petitioner. It said, “The government can construct the secretariat complex wherever they want.”
Stating that the courts cannot interfere with the policy decisions of the state, the bench pointed out that even the Supreme Court in 2022 refused to interfere with the construction of the new Parliament complex in Delhi.
It also questioned the petitioner how public money will be wasted if a new secretariat complex is constructed.
When it flagged lack of adequate materials in the PIL to challenge the state’s proposal for constructing the new secretariat, the petitioner sought to withdraw the PIL. Subsequently, the bench permitted the petitioner to withdraw the PIL.
The petitioner had alleged that the move to construct at Foreshore Estate, without taking into account the prevailing conditions, would affect the welfare of the local fishermen.
Another petition challenging the construction of the new secretariat complex, filed by former DMK MLA Dha Velu, is yet to come up for hearing.