CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has appointed an Advocate-Commissioner (AC) to assess the damage allegedly caused by the officials of the Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation (TTDC) to the movable properties of Spellbound, an event-organising firm in Besant Nagar, which participated in the just concluded 42nd Trade Fair at the Island Grounds.
Justice R Subbiah appointed advocate M Kempraj as the AC. He should assess the extent of damage caused to the movable properties, such as machinery, equipment, instruments, platforms, stages and iron sheds of the petitioner company and file a report before the court on April 22. The firm shall pay Rs 25,000 as remuneration to the AC, the judge added.
The judge was passing further interim orders on a writ petition from the firm, by its sole proprietor KN Reddin, which originally prayed for a direction to the TTDC and the Tourism, Culture and Religious Endowment Department to permit it to dismantle and remove all goods, movables, machinery, equipments, instruments, platforms, stages and iron sheds and all such materials erected for purpose of organising the 42nd India Tourism and Industrial Fair, 2016 at the Island Grounds. And the judge ordered maintenance of status quo, on April 7.
When the matter came up on April 13, senior counsel P Wilson contended that despite the interim order of status quo, the authorities dismantled and demolished the structures with an bulldozer and caused irreparable loss and injury to the petitioner firm.
Allowing the plea, Justice Subbiah appointed advocate Kempraj as the Advocate-Commissioner.