Madras HC orders status quo on Chettinad Palace properties

The Madras High Court today ordered maintenance of status quo regarding the Chettinad Palace here claimed to be in possession of industrialist M A M R Muthiah, the disowned adopted son of late M A M Ramaswamy.
A division bench comprising justices Rajiv Shakdher and N Sathish Kumar passed the order on an appeal filed by Muthiah challenging a single judge's order dismissing his plea related to the property.
He had sought to restrain another legal heir Kumari Rani Meena Muthiah, widow of M.A.M. Muthiah Chettiar, brother of Ramaswamy, from interfering with his 'possession and enjoyment' of bungalows on the Chettinad Palace.

On October 10, Justice C V Karthikeyan dismissed Muthiah's plea seeking permission to 'deal with' the property.
The judge had censured Muthiah for having attempted to earn interim relief on his suit to deal with the property without first establishing his rights as 'legal heir' and without establishing that he was in possession of them.
Aggrieved over the order, Muthiah preferred the appeal.

Granting the status quo order, the bench posted the suit to December 21 before the single judge for framing issues.
The bench also noted that the observations made by the single judge against Muthiah will not impact the merit of the suit or any other connected proceedings.

Muthiah's claim that he was adopted son of Ramaswamy and Sigappi Achi came under adverse judicial notice as Justice Karthikeyan had referred to Ramaswamy's own sworn affidavits filed in subordinate courts at the height of his tiff with his adopted son.
The issue started with Muthiah filing a civil suit earlier in a city civil court here seeking permanent injunction against his adoptive father Ramaswamy from dealing with or alienating their properties.
Though Ramaswamy filed affidavits stating that Muthiah was the natural son of R M Sekappa Chettiar and that his adoption was invalid because it was contrary to the customs of 'Nattukottai Nagarathar' community, to which he belonged, the civil court had ordered maintenance of status quo.

Noting that the first civil suit filed by Muthiah itself was 'vexatious and frivolous', the single judge transferred the suit from the city civil court and tagged it along with the present suit.