Tamil Nadu Secretariat Plan: Madras High Court Allows Withdrawal of Rs 1,200 Crore PIL

The Madras High Court allowed withdrawal of a PIL opposing Tamil Nadu’s proposed new Secretariat, questioning its legal basis and warning of heavy costs.

By All India Story

5 Oct 2026, 3:41 PM IST 2 min read

Proposed new Tamil Nadu Secretariat project in Chennai — The Madras High Court allowed withdrawal of a PIL challenging Tamil Nadu’s proposed new Secretariat.

The Tamil Nadu Secretariat plan to construct a new government complex at Chennai’s Foreshore Estate faced a legal challenge in the Madras High Court, but the petition was eventually withdrawn after the bench questioned its maintainability.

The PIL, filed by advocate RS Tamilvendan, sought directions to stop the proposed construction, reportedly estimated to cost around Rs 1,200 crore. The petitioner argued that building a new Secretariat could lead to unnecessary expenditure of public money and affect the interests of fishermen living in the area.

During the hearing, the petitioner’s counsel said the information about the project had been obtained through newspaper reports. The bench, comprising Chief Justice SA Dharmadhikari and Justice G Arul Murugan, questioned whether such reports provided sufficient legal grounds for the court to interfere with the government’s decision.

The judges also asked whether the petitioner had challenged the government order relating to the proposed Secretariat.

Madras HC points to earlier Secretariat case

The court referred to an earlier legal challenge from 2011 concerning the shifting of the Secretariat. The High Court had dismissed that challenge, and the Supreme Court subsequently upheld the decision.

The bench questioned how the proposed government order specifically affected the public and how the petitioner had established that public money would be wasted.

The judges also reminded the petitioner’s counsel about the scope and purpose of a Public Interest Litigation, stressing the need for proper legal research before approaching the court.

When the bench indicated that heavy costs could be imposed, the petitioner’s counsel requested permission to withdraw the case.

The Madras High Court subsequently dismissed the PIL as withdrawn.

The order does not amount to a judicial approval of the proposed Rs 1,200 crore project. Instead, the proceedings ended without the court examining the merits of the Secretariat proposal after the petitioner chose to withdraw the challenge.