CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has levied a fine of ₹1 lakh on Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) Commissioner J Kumaragurubaran, expressing dissatisfaction over his lack of action regarding unauthorized constructions in the Royapuram zone. The first bench, comprising Chief Justice K R Shriram and Justice Sundar Mohan, has instructed the state government to deduct this amount from the commissioner’s salary and deposit it into the Adyar Cancer Institute’s account.
The order was issued in response to a contempt petition filed by advocate N Rukmanganthan, who indicated that the corporation had failed to execute a court order dated April 8, 2022, which mandated the removal of unauthorized constructions in Zone 5. During the hearing on April 26, the court criticized the GCC for its insufficient actions against illegal buildings in the city.
The court noted that the GCC seemed unwilling to act against violators, accusing Kumaragurubaran of deliberately withholding information about the measures taken against such illegal constructions. “Strangely, and we would suggest intentionally, the commissioner has not provided details regarding the notices issued, responses received, subsequent actions taken, or whether any unauthorized structures were demolished,” said the bench.
The court highlighted that in the affidavit submitted by the commissioner, it was only mentioned that the corporation had taken further actions, having locked and sealed unauthorized buildings, with around 242 buildings sealed between January 1, 2022, and February 12, 2025. This was in stark contrast to the 4,115 stop-work notices and 1,966 lock and seal notices. The bench questioned why such a limited number of buildings were addressed.
In response to the court’s remarks, the corporation’s counsel assured that all details would be filed and made accessible for inspection within a week. However, as the corporation failed to fulfill this commitment, the bench imposed the fine on the commissioner.
