.Administrative General And Official Trustee Of Tamil Nadu v. Nil

A NO. 4443 of 2024

IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT MADRAS

DATED: 06-03-2025

CORAM

THE HONOURABLE MR JUSTICE S. S. SUNDAR A NO. 4443 of 2024 IN OA NO. 225 OF 2023 Administrative General and Official Trustee of Tamil Nadu High Court Campus, Chennai 600 104.

Applicant(s) Vs nil nil Respondent(s) OA NO. 225 of 2023 Everwin Educational and Charitable Trust Represented by its Managing Trustee, B.Purushothaman, At No.12 A, Redhills Road, Kolathur, Chennai 600 099.

Vs The Administrator General and Official Trustee of Tamil Nadu Represented by its Managing Trustee, B.Purushothaman, At No.12 A, Redhills Road, Kolathur, Chennai 600 099.

A NO. 4443 of 2024 For Applicant(s): Mr.D.Lingeshwaran For Respondent(s):

PRAYER : This application is filed to confirm the public auction in favour of the highest bidder namely Everwin Group of Schools and Businesses, Represented by B.Purushothaman, No.12A, Redhills Road, S.J.Avenue, Kolathur, Chennai - 600 099, who had successfully knocked the bid for Rs.4,01,00,000/- (Rupees Four Crores and One Lakh only) (annual learse amount) for the vacant land measuring 51.87 acres at Ayyanambakkam Village, Chennai -

95, with a direction to the applicant to enter into the lease agreement with Administrative General and Official Trustee of Tamil Nadu for thirty years with a provision to enhance the annual lease at 15 percent once in five years by collecting three times lease amount with provision to collect proportionate enhancement as on when the yearly lease amount is enhanced as advance within 15 days from the date of the order of the Hon'ble High Court.

ORDER

This application is filed by AG&OT to confirm the public auction and to conclude the lease in favour of Everwin Group of Schools and Businesses, who is the successful bidder of the subject lease property measuring vacant land of 51.87 acres at Ayyanambakkam Village, Chennai - 95, and to direct the said applicant to enter into an lease agreement with AG&OT and to fix the lease period as thirty years with periodical enhancement in the rent at the rate of 15% once in five years.

2. As per the report of AG&OT, the applicant herein is the sole bidder who participated in the bid with regard to the subject property. The learned AG&OT also submitted that this applicant had even participated in the previous auction for the said property and was declared as successful bidder, but the said auction was subsequently cancelled.

3. This Court is of the view that owing to the defects in the notification which was published by AG&OT, it had not attracted many persons to participate in the bid, other than the applicant herein, who obviously might knew about the property. Further, the offer submitted by the applicant in the present bid is too low. Hence, this Court is not in a position to confirm the auction, and rejected the same. Even the amount deposited ws refunded to the applicant.

4. Therefore, this Court vide order dated 20.02.2025, had directed the AG&OT to

prepare a draft notification and seek approval of this Court prior publication. This apart, the Court had also directed the learned AG&OT to get valuation and other statistical particulars to fix the upset price for the item, in consultation with the Public Works Department.

5. The learned AG&OT who appeared before this Court would submit that a fresh application seeking approval of the draft notification, would be filed shortly.

6. Recording the same, this Court is of the view that no further orders are necessary in the present application, and accordingly this application stands closed. 06-03-2025 ds