The Madras High Court has ruled that even temple land can be acquired for public projects, provided the development benefits devotees as well. The court was hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) against the acquisition of land belonging to Rathina Vinayagar Temple and Durgai Amman Temple in Chennai for the city’s metro rail project. The PIL argued that the acquisition was unfair and that the temples’ land should be exempt from acquisition.
However, the court found that CMRL (Chennai Metro Rail Limited) had planned to acquire a nearby plot belonging to United India Insurance Company instead of the temple land, and that the insurance company had already spent ₹250 crore on developing its building after receiving an NOC (No Objection Certificate) from CMRL. The court ruled that CMRL’s action was a gross violation of principles of natural justice, as it had acquired the insurance company’s land without first informing it.
The court also noted that CMRL had earlier given an NOC to the insurance company to set up its head office in the area, and thus had no right to backtrack on its promise. As a result, the court quashed the acquisition notice issued by CMRL against the insurance company. The court’s decision allows the acquisition of the temple land plots for the metro rail project, but with the condition that the development benefits devotees as well. The court’s order has likely alleviated concerns of the temples and the devotees, and will enable the metro rail project to proceed.