Order to vacate school for orphans challenged

Chennai, Apr 23 (UNI) The Tamil Nadu Government's order to vacate a school for orphans in the Government Estate here, to pave way for the proposed Legislative Assembly complex, was today challenged in Madras High Court.

Lawyer Joel and social worker A V Shanmugham filed a public interest litigation, submitting that the Women's Indian Association was running the AIWC School, recognised by the State Government, inside the Government Estate since 1949 for the uplift of orphans and nearly 1,000 students were studying there. Even today, the institution was the only refuge for poor children in the vicinity.

The State Public Works Department had sent a notice to the institution, asking it to vacate the premises immediately as the property was needed for construction of the Assembly complex, the petition submitted, seeking to quash the Government notice.

The petition was likely to come up for hearing tomorrow before the first Bench.

UNI XR GD PK GC2115