Every
time one passes by, one is awe-struck by this magnificent edifice !
It is the brick mortar in red of the
Madras High Court.
The court is one of the three
High Courts in India established in the three Presidency Towns of Bombay,
Calcutta and Madras by Letters patent granted by Her Majesty Queen Victoria,
bearing date 26 June 1862. It exercises original jurisdiction over the city of
Chennai and appellate jurisdiction over the entire state of Tamil Nadu and Union
territory of Puducherry.
The eye-capturing building
of the High Court is an exquisite
example of Indo-Saracenic style of architecture, built in 1892 with the design prepared by J.W.
Brassington and later under the guidance of the famed architect Henry Irwin, who
completed it with the assistance of J.H. Stephens. Though Madras has not seen
many wars and not certainly the World Wars – the High Court building was
damaged in the shelling of Madras by S.M.S. Emden on 22 September 1914, at the
beginning of the First World War. It remains one of the very few Indian
buildings to have been damaged by a German attack.
The painted
ceilings and the stained glass doors are masterpieces in themselves. The minars
are quite attractive – they once housed the lighthouse of the city, which is decrepit
now. According to some reports, the
lighthouse used kerosene to produce light with an intensity equivalent to that
emitted by about 18,000 candles ~ and perhaps
that was one of the reasons for
attracting the attention of the German warship SMS Emden. The
Department of Posts has allotted a Postal Index Number (PIN) code of 600 104 to
the zone occupied by the Madras High Court. The boundaries of the High Court
complex are marked by namely, Prakasam
Road (formerly Broadway), NSC Bose Road and Rajaji Road (the old North Beach Road)
Of the
many statues, the decade old statue is apt symbolism – it is the majestic one
of Chola king Manuneethi Chozhan known
to have ruled in the third century BC. This Tamil king is considered the
embodiment of justice himself. Legend has it that he crushed his son under the
wheels of the royal chariot just as his heir apparent had run over a calf ! By some accounts, it was Ellalan, Chozha
king, who ruled the Anuradhapura
Kingdom, in present day Sri Lanka.
Arising out of that deed of executing his own son, when the cow moved the
kingdom bell, he became ‘Manuneethi Chozha’.
Now read this
interesting article that appeared in Times of India dt 28.11.2016 : The Madras high court
was locked for 24 hours from 8pm on Saturday to 8pm on Sunday. Heavy locks and
chains made sure that no one — judges, advocates or litigants — were allowed to
enter the premises ! - what Court premises locked out ?
No,
justice was not locked out. The court was closed in keeping with a pre-British
era tradition, one that requires the high court premises to be locked for 24
hours each year. Senior lawyers said the land for the construction of the court
was acquired from a private person — whose name is lost with hoary antiquity —
in the 1800s. Though the land was initially taken on lease, the ownership deed
was later transferred to Lord Permual Temple on Parry's Corner. To ensure that
no individual or entity claims ownership of the edifice, the court's
administrators lock the court premises, hand over its keys to the chief priest
of the temple and renew the lease agreement on one day each year.
The
State Government continues to protect the building and site from bogus
ownership claims while maintaining its status as a public property/pathway. In
sync with the old tradition, the court's registry locks up the premises every
last Sunday of November after putting up notices on its six gates that it would
reopen on Monday. The current high court building moved to its brand new
quarters from an edifice near Beach Station on July 12, 1892. Sir Arthur
Collins, chief justice at the time, formally received permission to start
proceedings in the new building from Madras Presidency governor Beilby Lawley,
3rd Baron Wenlock.
~ ..
.. .. and well may it be closed for a day should it neither delay nor deny
justice to those who seek it in its corridors.
With regards – S.
Sampathkumar
29th
Nov. 2016-11-29
PS :
coloured portion reproduced from Times of India. Chennai edition. : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/High-court-under-lock-keyto-ensure-justice-stays-secure/articleshow/55655109.cms
Thank you. Nice information
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