Madras High Court Asks Greater Chennai Corporation To Not Take Coercive Action Against Retailers Not Displaying Shop Name In Tamil Language

Justice V Lakshminarayan has also directed the GCC Commissioner to consider a representation made by the retailers seeking an extension of time to change the already existing boards, in compliance with the Government decision mandating that the names of the shops be first displayed in Tamil and then in English and then, if needed, in any other language.

The Retailers Association had informed the court that in April 2025, they received a communication from the officials of the GCC mandating that all shops display their names in Tamil on top, followed by English and any third language below English. The retailers were informed that the directions be complied with on or before May 30, 2025 failing which a penalty of Rs. 2,000 would be imposed under Rule 18 of the Tamil Nadu Shops and Establishment Act, 1947.

The retailers submitted that they had made substantial investments for creating and installing name boards. It was submitted that these name boards may also contain the recognised trademark of the shop, follow a uniform global branding format and incorporate carefully crafted elements such as colour, font, and design. It was submitted that forcing immediate redesign would disrupt the brand uniformity and cause confusion among the customers.

The retailers also submitted that the directions causes undue hardship and violates their fundamental right to carry on trade under Article 19(1)(g) of the Constitution.

While the retailers undertook that they were willing to comply with the statutory requirements under the Tamil Nadu Shops and Establishments Act, it was pointed out that there were some practical constrains, including financial difficulty, vendor delays, designing and printing time, etc.

Thus, they had approached the court seeking direction to the authorities to consider their representation and grant extension of time for complying with the directions.

The court disposed of the plea by directing the GCC to consider the representation within 4 weeks and not to take any coercive action till then.

Citation: 2025 LiveLaw (Mad) 176

Case Title: Retailers Association of India v. The Department of Labour and Skill Development and Others

Case No: WP 18879 of 2025