Stalin occupied school space

CHENNAI: The State government has defended its decision to cancel the allotment of a building in Kolathur for use as the MLA office for M K Stalin. In an affidavit filed before the High Court, it said that the said premises belonged to Scouts and Guides and also housed classrooms of a school.After Stalin was elected from Kolathur in the 2011 Assembly polls, the DMK-led Corporation Council had passed a resolution on June 29, allotting the place for the ‘temporary use of MLA’.It was formally opened on July 16, 2011. Subsequently, the government decided to cancel the allotment after which Stalin moved court. While a single judge of the HC had already stayed the implementation of the decision, the present writ plea was against a GO canceling the resolution.In the counter affidavit, municipal administration department secretary Sheela Balakrishnan stated that the government was within its rights to cancel a resolution passed by the Corporation. Besides, the Corporation Commissioner was required to pass a specific order for its implementation and, in this case, there was no order issued before Stalin took possession of the premises. In response to Stalin’s submission that no notice was served on him, the affidavit stated that no notice was required to be served as he was not entitled to the premises. The Jawahar Nagar Development and Service Society, formed in 1964, had given the land to the Corporation in 1974 on condition that it should be used for an educational purpose. As no school was built till 1987, the society moved the court for return of the property. While disposing of the matter in 2001, the court recorded the Corporation’s stand that there was a plan to construct a building for Scouts and Guides, besides classrooms for a local school.The office was allotted in violation of this condition, besides the HC order, the affidavit stated. Denying that the premises was vacant till Stalin took possession of it, it said that the place was being used as Scouts and Guides office. The matter would come up for hearing next week.