CHENNAI: One of the legends at the Madras High Court is a secret staircase connecting a cell on the ground floor with a court hall upstairs, and two famous movie personalities scheduled to appear at a trial. And it goes like this…
Back in 1944, M K Thyagaraja Bhagavathar and N S Krishnan were arrested for their suspected involvement in the murder of Tamil film journalist C N Lakshmikanthan. It is said that the duo used the wooden staircase to bypass prying eyes outside. After all these years, the staircase, situated inside a tiny room near the office of the Registrar (Administration), is one of the several historical elements being restored by the heritage committee of the Madras High Court.
Undoubtedly, one of the spectacular structures in this colonial city, the Madras High Court, built in the Indo-Saracenic style, was completed in 1892 at a reported cost of `12 lakh. The complex, designed by Henry Irwin and executed by his trusted contractor Namberumal Chetty, is distinguished by the presence of several aesthetically designed domes, minarets and arches. Now, for the first time, a comprehensive restoration task is underway.
Sanctioned by the 13th finance commission, the restoration work commenced last year and is expected to go on for few more months. Speaking to City Express, Justice R Sudhakar, the chair of the heritage committee, said every effort will be taken and no expense will be spared to restore the heritage premises.
“When restoration began last year, we relocated the admin offices outside the heritage building. This was done with the assistance of Public Works Department to ensure the heritage building is only intended for court hearings,” he said. An exhaustive documentation work detailing the court’s architecture has been prepared to aid the restoration work.
The personnel undertaking restoration have identified three barriers: air conditioning system, electrical circuits and setting up other rooms for admin purposes. “Certain ad-hoc additions to the heritage building in recent years (a mistake) are being removed now,” added Justice Sudhakar. “We have already removed 25 tonnes of heavyweight AC equipment. Re-layering of the roof damaged by rains and sunshine is also underway. The walls are being given a fresh coating for which artisans from Virudhunagar, specialised in lime plastering, have been employed.”
A team from the National Research Laboratory for Conservation of Cultural Property, Lucknow, is scheduled to arrive soon to give the faded domes a fresh lease of life. Somewhere at the very top of the 175-foot main tower, which presents a splendid view of the Esplanade below and the nearby Chennai port, is a stone inscription which reads, “... they labour in vain that build it.”
A PWD personnel on site told CE, “We can’t build what they did, the least we can do is to preserve the magnificent structure for the coming generations.”