Madras High Court Weekly Round-Up: September 8 - September 14, 2025

NOMINAL INDEX

Dr Ilaiyaraja v. Mythri Movie Makers, 2025 LiveLaw (Mad) 298

R Kannan and Others v. T.R Baalu, 2025 LiveLaw (Mad) 299

Annadhurai Ramasamy v. The Chief Secretary, 2025 LiveLaw (Mad) 300

Tarigonda Surya Maheedhar v. The Union of India and Others, 2025 LiveLaw (Mad) 301

Lokeshwaran Ravi v. State of Tamil Nadu, 2025 LiveLaw (Mad) 302

Adv V Venkata Sivakumar v. The Election Commission of India and Others, 2025 LiveLaw (Mad) 303

R Varadaraj v. The Government of Tamil Nadu and Others, 2025 LiveLaw (Mad) 304

Vignesh D v. The Health and Family Welfare Department and Others, 2025 LiveLaw (Mad) 305

ST Sivagnanan v. The State of Tamil Nadu and Others, 2025 LiveLaw (Mad) 306

N Anand Bussi Anand v. The State of Tamil Nadu and Another, 2025 LiveLaw (Mad) 307

D Chandirasegar and Others v. Union of India and Others, 2025 LiveLaw (Mad) 308

REPORT

Madras High Court Interim Order Restrains 'Good Bad Ugly' Makers From Using Ilaiyaraja Songs In The Movie

Case Title: Dr Ilaiyaraja v. Mythri Movie Makers

Citation: 2025 LiveLaw (Mad) 298

The Madras High Court has temporarily restrained the makers of Ajith starrer Good Bad Ugly movie from using three songs of musician Ilaiyaraja.

Justice N Senthilkumar granted the temporary injunction in a plea moved by the musician seeking to restrain Mythri Movie Makers, producers of the movie, from exhibiting, screening, selling, distributing, publishing, broadcasting the movie, along with the three songs of Ilaiyaraja.

Ilaiyaraja had argued that the songs "Otha Rubayum Tharen" from the movie "Nattupura Pattu", the song "Ilamai Idho Ido" from the movie "Sakalakala Vallavan", and the song "En Jodi Manja Kuruvi" from the movie "Vikram" had been used in the Ajith movie without obtaining express consent or permission from him and without paying royalties to which he is statutorily entitled.

Madras High Court Stays Order Directing Tamil Weekly To Pay ₹25 Lakh To DMK's TR Balu For Publishing Defamatory Content

Case Title: R Kannan and Others v. T.R Baalu

Citation: 2025 LiveLaw (Mad) 299

The Madras High Court has stayed an order of the single judge directing the Editor, Publisher, and the Printer of the Tamil weekly “Junior Vikatan” to pay Rs. 25,00,000 as damages to DMK's TR Balu for publishing malicious and defamatory content against him.

The bench of Justice SM Subramaniam and Justice C Saravanan passed the interim order in an appeal preferred by the magazine and adjourned the hearing for 2 weeks.

Rithanya Dowry Death Case: Madras High Court Refuses To Transfer Probe, Asks Superintendent Of Police To Monitor

Case Title: Annadhurai Ramasamy v. The Chief Secretary

Citation: 2025 LiveLaw (Mad) 300

The Madras High Court has directed the Superintendent of Police, Tiruppur, to monitor the investigation in connection with the death of 27-year-old Rithanya, who committed suicide earlier in July this year, over alleged dowry harassment.

Justice Satish Kumar disposed of the petition filed by Annadhurai, Rithanya's father, seeking to transfer the investigation to an independent investigating officer from the State Crime Investigation Department (CB-CID) of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or a Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by a retired judge.

Noting that a substantial progress had already been made in the investigation, the court was not inclined to order an independent probe in the case. However, since allegations had been raised regarding lapses in the investigation, the court directed the Superintendent to monitor the probe.

Madras High Court Asks Authorities To Allow PwD Candidate To Participate In NEET PG 2025-26 Counselling Based On Rank Secured In 2024 Exam

Case Title: Tarigonda Surya Maheedhar v. The Union of India and Others

Citation: 2025 LiveLaw (Mad) 301

The Madras High Court recently directed the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the office of Medical Counselling Committee, the National Medical Commission, and the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital to permit a physically disabled candidate to attend the counselling for NEET PG 2025-26 based on the rank secured by him in NEET PG 2024.

Justice C Kumarappan relied on the decision of the Supreme Court in Kabir Paharia vs National Medical Commission and others, in which the court had observed that the constitutional mandate of substantive equality demands that person with disabilities and PwBD be afforded reasonable accommodations rather than subjected to exclusionary practices based on unfounded presumptions about their capabilities.

Madras High Court Sets Aside Order Remanding DSP In SC/ST Act Case, Directs Enquiry Into Alleged Misuse Of Power By Trial Court Judge

Case Title: Lokeshwaran Ravi v. State of Tamil Nadu

Citation: 2025 LiveLaw (Mad) 302

The Madras High Court has set aside an unusual order passed by the Principal District and Sessions Judge, Kancheepuram, remanding a Deputy Superintendent of Police and externing other accused persons.

Calling the trial court judge's order "unwarranted", Justice N Satish Kumar directed the high court's Registrar (Vigilance) to conduct an enquiry into allegations of bias and misuse of power by the trial court judge. The high court opined that such a probe was necessary to uncover the truth.

The court noted that before passing the order of externment under Section 10 of the SC/ST Act there must be either a complaint or a Police report. In the present case, the court noted that except for the FIR, there were no other police reports.

The court observed that the order of externment is to be passed when there is a real atrocity committed on the members belonging to the SC/ST communities. In the present case, the court noted that the case was based on mere altercations and it might not have been possible for the persons to know the caste of the opposite party.

Madras High Court Rejects PIL Seeking ECI's Response To Rahul Gandhi's 'Voter List Manipulation' Claim; Slaps Fine

Case Title: Adv V Venkata Sivakumar v. The Election Commission of India and Others

Citation: 2025 LiveLaw (Mad) 303

The Madras High Court has dismissed a public interest litigation asking the Election Commission of India to clarify its position regarding the allegations raised by Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, regarding large-scale voter list manipulation in the 2024 General Elections to the 18^th Lok Sabha.

The bench of Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Justice G Arul Murugan noted that the plea lacked materials and only referred to the allegations and counter-allegations made by the parties. The court also noted that the plea was in the nature of asking the court to conduct a roving enquiry into the issue.

Madras High Court Dismisses Plea Challenging Appointment of IPS Officer G Vankatraman As Ad-Hoc Director General Of Police

Case Title: R Varadaraj v. The Government of Tamil Nadu and Others

Citation: 2025 LiveLaw (Mad) 304

The Madras High Court, on Thursday, dismissed a petition filed by a lawyer challenging the appointment of IPS officer R Venkataraman as the ad-hoc Director General of Police/Head of Police Force in the State of Tamil Nadu.

The bench of Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Justice G Arul Murugan orally remarked that some arrangements had to be made when the DGP demitted office following his superannuation in August 31^st 2025. The court also noted that the Supreme Court, on September 8, had directed the UPSC to expeditiously consider sending recommendations for the appointment of the Director General of Police of Tamil Nadu. The court thus opined that the present petition was baseless.

Madras High Court Directs MGR Medical University To Constitute Committee Under Transgender Persons (Protection Of Rights) Rules

Case Title: Vignesh D v. The Health and Family Welfare Department and Others

Citation: 2025 LiveLaw (Mad) 305

The Madras High Court has directed the Tamil Nadu Dr MGR Medical University to constitute a university-level committee as per Rule 10(8) of the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Rules 2020. As per this rule, all educational institutions shall have a committee which shall be accessible for transgender persons in case of any harassment or discrimination, with powers to ensure that transgender students do not affected by the presence of the persons bullying them, including teachers.

Justice GK Ilanthiraiyan issued the direction in a transgender student's plea claiming that the medical college where they were pursuing their medical degree had withheld their original documents and made an arbitrary fee demand.

Madras High Court Dismisses Plea Alleging Violation Of Pollution Norms At Isha Foundation

Case Title: ST Sivagnanan v. The State of Tamil Nadu and Others

Citation: 2025 LiveLaw (Mad) 306

The Madras High Court has dismissed a petition seeking direction to the authorities to take appropriate action against discharge of sewage and effluents by the Isha Foundation into the neighbouring lands.

The bench of Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Justice G Arul Murugan took note of a subsequent petition filed by the same petitioner raising the same concerns, in which the pollution control board had conducted an inspection and had submitted a satisfactory report. The bench thus opined that nothing survived in the petition and dismissed the same.

Madras High Court Stays Criminal Proceedings Against General Secretary Of TVK Political Party For Alleged Unlawful Assembly

Case Title: N Anand Bussi Anand v. The State of Tamil Nadu and Another

Citation: 2025 LiveLaw (Mad) 307

The Madras High Court has stayed the criminal proceedings initiated against the general secretary of actor Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) party for allegedly causing an unlawful assembly and obstructing the police from doing their duty.

Justice Sunder Mohan ordered an interim stay in a petition filed by N Anand alias Bussy Anand, seeking to quash the FIR registered against him by the Inspector of Police, Airport Police Station, Trichy.

Condition For Exemption From PF Scheme Can't Be Invoked To Deny EPS Pension : Madras High Court Quashes EPFO Circular

Case Title: D Chandirasegar and Others v. Union of India and Others

Citation: 2025 LiveLaw (Mad) 308

The Madras High Court has quashed a circular issued by the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation restricting the exempted establishments from amending their Trust Rules with retrospective effect so as to bring it in consonance with the Supreme Court's orders. The court also set aside an order of the EPFO rejecting an application for joint option request by employees to avail the benefits of higher pension.

Justice R Vijayakumar noted that the organisation was exempted under the Provident Fund Scheme and was governed by its Trust Rules. The court also noted that the establishment was governed under the Statutory Pension Scheme and the benefits under the scheme could not be denied to the employees citing the Trust Rules.

OTHER DEVELOPMENTS

Madras High Court Keeps In Abeyance Order Constituting Commission To Probe Allegations Of Police Violence Against Detained Lawyers

Case Title: Commissioner of Police and another v. S Vijay

Case No: Crl MP 16879 of 2025

The Madras High Court has kept in abeyance an interim order passed earlier this month, appointing a one-man commission headed by a retired judge of the high court to probe into allegations of police violence during the detention of lawyers and law students who took part in the protest organised by the sanitation workers of Greater Chennai Corporation.

The bench of Justice J Nisha Banu and Justice S Sounthar kept the order in abeyance in a petition moved by the Commissioner of Police seeking to vacate the order.

Centre Notifies Appointment Of Madras HC Judge Justice M Sundar As Chief Justice Of Manipur High Court

The Central Government has notified the appointment of Madras High Court judge Justice M Sundar as the Chief Justice of the High Court of Manipur.

In a tweet, the Minister of Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal said that Justice M Sundar will take charge as the Chief Justice of Manipur with effect from the date he assumes charge of the office consequent upon the superannuation of Justice Kempaiah Somashekar, who is currently serving as the Chief Justice of Manipur High Court, on 14th September 2025.

On September 11, the Supreme Court collegium had recommended the appointment of Justice Sundar as the Chief Justice of the Manipur High Court.