The Madras High Court has formed a committee to assist the court as well as administrative committee to preserve and protect heritage buildings situated within the High Court campus.
The first bench comprising acting chief justice Satish K Agnihotri and Justice M M Sundaresh after hearing a petition from advocate M T Arunan stated that the buildings to be protected would also include the Small Causes Court building as well as Dr B R Ambedkar Law College.
The committee includes registrar general of High Court, Arvind Pandian, additional advocate general, secretary public works department, N L Rajah, advocate, Dr S Vasanthi, deputy superintending archaeologist, office of the commissioner of Archaeology Hall, Egmore, and a senior officer who is well versed in protecting heritage buildings from the department of Archaeology Survey of India to be nominated by the said authority as well as the chief engineer (buildings), PWD.
The judges said there was sense of unanimity between the petitioner as well as the respondents - registrar general of High court, the registrar (administration) cum secretary of heritage committee, archaeological officer, department of archaeology and archaeological survey of India- that the buildings situated within the vast compound of Madras High Court constructed in the unique style of Indo-Saracenic architecture would have to be preserved for posterity.
“Therefore keeping with the said object in mind, apart from Heritage Committee, which is duly constituted to take care of the preservation of the heritage, we are inclined to constitute one more committee consisting of experts in the field,” the judges observed. The writ petition has been posted for further orders after two weeks.