Madurai Corporation Council Meetings Halted for Three Months, PIL Filed in High Court
A public interest litigation reached the Madras High Court on Monday. The plea seeks a direction to authorities for conducting monthly council meetings of the Madurai corporation. These meetings have not taken place for the past three months.
Resignations Amid Property Tax Probe Stall Proceedings
The petitioner, T R Desikachary, is a retired corporation employee. He informed the court that Mayor Indrani Ponvasanth resigned in October 2025. She cited personal and family reasons for her decision.
Her resignation followed months of political and administrative turbulence. This turbulence stemmed from alleged large-scale irregularities in property tax assessments.
Prior to the mayor's resignation, five zonal chairpersons and two standing committee chairpersons also stepped down. Their resignations coincided with an escalating probe into the alleged scam. The probe includes investigations into alleged manipulation of records.
Legal Mandate for Monthly Meetings Ignored
The petitioner highlighted Rule 155 of the Tamil Nadu Urban Local Bodies Rules. This rule states that every council meeting must be presided over by the chairperson. In the chairperson's absence, this function devolves upon the deputy chairperson.
The absence of an elected mayor does not justify suspension of council meetings, the plea argued. These meetings must be convened at least once a month by law.
The statutory framework provides alternative mechanisms to ensure meetings are presided over by competent authorities. The petitioner noted that the failure to invoke these provisions appears arbitrary and illegal. It contradicts the object of the Act.
Administrative Paralysis and Civic Concerns
The prolonged failure to convene statutory meetings has paralyzed the democratic functioning of the corporation. This paralysis directly impacts the daily lives of lakhs of Madurai residents.
The corporation currently faces significant public and administrative scrutiny. Its performance on urban sanitation and civic service delivery has been poor.
The Swachh Survekshan 2024-25 rankings placed Madurai last among 40 cities with a population exceeding 1 million. Residents remain sceptical about the pace of improvements.
They cite persistent waste accumulation in some localities. Insufficient street-level services and leadership gaps due to the absence of an elected mayor and zonal chairpersons add to their concerns.
Court Proceedings and Next Steps
A division bench of Justice G Jayachandran and Justice K K Ramakrishnan heard the PIL. The bench sought a response from the Madurai corporation commissioner.
The petitioner stated he had submitted a representation to the authorities. This representation sought the conduct of council meetings. It has yet to be considered.
The hearing in the case was adjourned to January 28. The court will await the corporation's response before proceeding further.
