Court seeks Madurai corporation’s response on shop licensing system

MADURAI: Commissioner of the

Madurai

Corporation has been asked to submit a response to the Madras high court on the procedure followed in leasing out or granting licence to the shops belonging to the corporation.

A division bench of justices

Pushpa Sathyanarayana

and P Velmurugan also sought a response as to whether the licences were renewed periodically and rent revision was being made for the shops. The judges directed the corporation commissioner to file an affidavit responding to the above queries, after taking note of the fact that there was no standard procedure followed by the corporation for leasing out or granting licence for the shops.

The court passed the order while hearing a petition filed by

S S Kumaran

, challenging the notice issued by the corporation authorities to evict him from the shop situated opposite to the Government Rajaji Hospital at Panagal Road in Madurai.

The petitioner stated that he was granted licence for the shop in 2005 and has been paying rent without any default.

A notice was issued to him to evict the shop on the ground that there are no records to show that it is owned by him and that the same is operated by

Mohamed Muthu

. Kumaran said that Muthu was his employee who was taking care of the shop and he had not sub-leased the shop to anyone. Hence, the petitioner moved the HC Madurai bench challenging the eviction notice.