3 months ago
3
The absorption of Amrutanjan Limited, a 132-year-old Chennai based institution fashionable for its symptom alleviation balm crossed the country, is present facing a symptom successful the cervix due to the fact that of the request to wage crores of rupees towards rental arrears for 14 grounds of the Mylapore Kapaleeswarar Temple onshore connected Luz Church Road successful Chennai.
The institution has filed a writ entreaty earlier the Madras High Court challenging a azygous judge’s bid to evict it from the temple property, which it had been occupying for a paltry rent of ₹1,400 per period till October 2001, and besides to retrieve the rental arrears astatine the complaint of ₹3.3 lakh per period from November 1, 2001.
The entreaty has been listed for proceeding earlier the archetypal Division Bench of Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G. Arul Murugan connected Monday (March 16, 2026). It had been filed against the dismissal of Amrutanjan’s 2005 writ petition by Justice M. Dhandapani connected September 25, 2025.
In his verdict, the justice had pointed retired the temple absorption had leased retired 14 grounds and 910 quadrate feet of its onshore astatine Luz Church Road to P.R. Sundera Iyer connected August 28, 1901. As per the agreement, the lease would beryllium for a play of 99 years and connected outgo of a monthly rent of ₹1,400.
However, Iyer, successful turn, had assigned the lease rights to Amrutanjan which was successful concern of the onshore for decades together. After the expiry of the archetypal lease play connected August 27, 2000, the temple demanded enhanced rent but Amrutanjan did not travel guardant to wage the enhanced rent.
Hence, the temple issued a announcement connected September 17, 2001 asking Amrutanjan to vacate the spot connected oregon earlier November 1, 2001. When the institution did not vacate the land, a caller announcement was issued to it connected June 16, 2024. Yet, the institution continued to beryllium successful possession of the land.
In the meantime, Section 34A was introduced to the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Act of 1959 done an amendment carried retired successful 2003. The caller ineligible proviso provided for constitution of a committee to hole lease rent for temple properties based connected marketplace value.
The committee comprised of the Joint Commissioner of HR&CE department, the enforcement serviceman of the temple, the chairperson of the temple’s committee of trustees and the territory registrar. In 2005, the committee fixed ₹3.30 lakh arsenic monthly rent for 14 grounds of onshore and demanded it with retrospective effect from 2001.
Immediately, Amrutanjan filed a statutory entreaty earlier the HR&CE Commissioner nether Section 34A(3) of the Act. The Commissioner refused to entertain the entreaty unless the institution deposits the lease magnitude fixed by the committee, successful the temple’s slope account, arsenic required nether a proviso to Section 34A(5).
Hence, Amrutanjan had filed the writ petition successful November 2005 to state Section 34A(5) arsenic illegal, ultravires and unenforceable and continued to beryllium successful possession of the spot adjacent arsenic the writ petition was pending for astir 20 years. Justice Dhandapani had taken it up for last proceeding and dismissed it successful 2025.
At the clip of dismissal, the justice was informed the institution had already been evicted. “However, if the eviction has not been done till date, the respondents are directed to instrumentality indispensable steps to evict the petitioner from the spot and the respondents are besides directed to instrumentality steps to retrieve the rent fixed by the Fair Rent Committee, including the arrears, wrong a play of 4 weeks,” helium ordered.
