Madras HC Division Bench restrains single judge from proceeding with Madras Race Club case

A Division Bench of the Madras High Court on Wednesday (November 5, 2025) stayed all further proceedings pending before a single judge in an application filed by Madras Race Club (MRC) early this year to restrain the State government from interfering with its possession of the Guindy race course land in Chennai.

The Bench comprising Justices S.M. Subramaniam and Mohammed Shaffiq granted the interim stay after agreeing with senior counsel P. Wilson, representing the State government, that an appeal pending before the Bench would become infructuous if the single judge passes any order in the application.

Explaining the trajectory of the case, the senior counsel told the Bench that MRC had filed a civil suit before the single judge in September 2024 but got it numbered only in April 2025. The suit was filed for declaring as null and void a Septmber 6, 2024, Government Order, which cancelled the lease deed in favour of MRC.

Along with the main suit, MRC had also filed an application seeking an interim injunction restraining the government from interfering with the club’s possession of the property. Justice K. Kumaresh Babu had on July 4, 2025, directed the parties to maintain status quo until the disposal of the application.

Thereafter, the judge heard elaborate arguments advanced on the application for interim injunction and reserved his orders on August 18, 2025. Thereafter, the State government filed the appeal before the Division Bench on October 14, 2025, challenging the status quo order passed by the single judge.

Passing interim orders on the appeal on October 22, 2025, the Bench led by Justice Subramaniam permitted the government to strengthen four ponds that had been dug in the Guindy property, in order to avoid floods in the locality during the monsoon, and also to carry out any other project of public interest.

Though MRC took the Division Bench’s order on appeal to the Supreme Court, the latter refused to interfere with that order but for clarifying that the words ‘any other project of public interest’ shall entitle the government to create only what was required for establishment of an eco-park on the sprawling property.

The top court also said, the Division Bench shall endeavour to dispose of the case expeditiously. Hence, the government moved a petition before the Bench on Wednesday, urging it to stay all further proceedings pending before the single judge who had reserved orders on the injunction application.

Accepting the request made by Mr. Wilson, the Division Bench granted the interim stay until the State appeal pending before it, challenging the status quo order, could be disposed of. The Bench also directed the High Court Registry to list the appeal for final hearing on November 19.

During the course of hearing on Wednesday, Mr. Wilson brought to the notice of the Bench that, pursuant to the Supreme Court order, the government had begun the development of the eco-park on 118-acres of the race course land and Chief Minister M.K. Stalin had inaugurated the works on November 1.

When the MRC counsel contested the submission with respect to the works for the eco-park having commenced, the judges expressed surprise over such contestation before recording it in their interim order and decided to hear the matter in detail on November 19.