On January 23, 2026, the High Court in Madras made an important decision about a land disagreement in Chennai. Judge N. Anand Venkatesh was in charge of the case, which involved several parties and a lot of money.
The case is about land being taken for the Chennai Airport Expansion Project. The District Collector of Chengalpet, Tmt. D. Sneha, along with other officials, asked for permission to deposit fees related to developing the land in question.
The people involved, including Mr. P. Mohanasundaram, owned land in Cowl Bazaar, Pallavaram Taluk, Chengalpattu District. The land, which is 2.76 acres, was part of a decision made on December 15, 2020. The officials wanted to deposit 33.33% of the land's market value, which was taken out from that decision.
Judge N. Anand Venkatesh allowed the request, permitting the deposit of Rs. 32,90,808. This amount is for the development fees, and it will be credited to a contempt petition. The judge ordered that the money be deposited within two weeks and placed in a fixed deposit to earn interest.
"In the view of this Court, since a writ appeal has already been filed, and to be fair to both sides, this Court is inclined to allow this request."
The court directed that the deposit be managed by the Registrar General. The funds will stay in a fixed deposit, with the final decision on the money depending on the outcome of the appeal.
The court allowed the officials to deposit a portion of the land's value as development charges, which will be held until the final decision in the ongoing appeal is made. This ensures that both sides are treated fairly while waiting for the final outcome of the case.
