Sri Ganapati Sachchidananda Avadhoota v. The Managing Director
IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT MADRAS
DATED: 27-02-2026
CORAM
THE HON'BLE MR JUSTICE SENTHILKUMAR RAMAMOORTHY and W.M.P.No.6629 of 2026 Sri Ganapati Sachchidananda Avadhoota Datta Peetham Trust, Rep. by its Authorised signatory, A.Mahalingam, Sri Ganapati Sachchidananda Ashram, Datta Nagar, Mysuru 570 025 ..Petitioner(s) Vs
1. The Managing Director Chennai Metro Rail Limited, Nandanam, Chennai 35
2. The Special District Revenue officer (Land Acquisition ), Chennai Metro Rail Limited, Nandanam, Chennai 35
3. The Special Tahsildar (Land Acquisition ), Chennai Metro Rail Limited, Nandanam, Chennai 35
4. The Executive Engineer Tamil Nadu Housing Board, Anna Nagar Division, No. 26, First floor, Tamil Nadu Housing Board, Anna Nagar division, Estate Road , Anna Nagar West, Chennai 101 ..Respondent(s) PRAYER: Writ Petition is filed under Article 226 of the Constitution of India, pleased to issue a Writ of Certiorarified Mandamus, calling for the entire
records of the 2nd respondent in proceedings bearing C5/ 055/ 2024 including the Award dated 10.9.2025 and quash the same and direct the respondents to pay the petitioner a sum of Rs. 3,25,40,000/- as compensation or in the alternative at least Rs. 2,53,00,000/- being the compensation paid to the remaining 23 apartment owners in Navajeevan Apartment, 7th Avenue, now Jawaharlal Nehru Road, Anna Nagar, Chennai 600 040. For Petitioner(s):
Mr.V.G.Suresh Kumar For Respondent(s):
Mr.B.Vijay, Standing Counsel for R1 Mr.P.Sathish, Additional Government Pleader for R2 & R3
ORDER
The petitioner is a charitable trust. The lands of the trust were acquired under the Tamil Nadu Acquisition of Lands for Industrial Purposes Act, 1997. Award dated 10.09.2025 is challenged in this writ petition and the petitioner seeks enhanced compensation on par with the compensation received by owners of flats in the same residential apartments complex.
2. Learned counsel for the petitioner submits that the compensation was received under protest without prejudice to the right to challenge the quantum.
3. Mr.P.Sathish, learned Additional Government Pleader, accepts notice for respondents 2 and 3 and Mr.B.Vijay, learned standing counsel, accepts
notice for the first respondent. Mr.B.Vijay raises a preliminary objection that an acquisition award cannot be challenged in a writ petition. He submits that the recourse available to the petitioner is to make a request for reference for enhanced compensation.
4. The petitioner has communicated to all the respondents that the compensation of Rs.1,24,76,000/- was received under protest and without prejudice to the right to challenge the quantum. This communication may be treated as a request for reference and the second respondent may make the reference to the reference court on such basis.
5. Accordingly, this writ petition is disposed of by directing the second respondent to treat communication dated 04.12.2025 as a request for reference and to make the reference to the court concerned within three weeks from the date of receipt of a copy of this order. Such reference shall be made without going into the question of limitation. All contentions are left open to the petitioner. No costs. Consequently, the connected writ miscellaneous petition is closed.
27-02-2026 Index: Yes/No Speaking/Non-speaking order RNA
To
1. The Managing Director Chennai Metro Rail Limited, Nandanam, Chennai 35
2. The Special District Revenue officer (Land Acquisition ), Chennai Metro Rail Limited, Nandanam, Chennai 35
3. The Special Tahsildar (Land Acquisition ), Chennai Metro Rail Limited, Nandanam, Chennai 35
4. The Executive Engineer Tamil Nadu Housing Board, Anna Nagar Division, No. 26, First floor, Tamil Nadu Housing Board, Anna Nagar division, Estate Road , Anna Nagar West, Chennai 101
SENTHILKUMAR RAMAMOORTHY, J.
RNA and W.M.P.No.6629 of 2026 27-02-2026