High Court · 2025

W.P.No.16777 of 2023IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT MADRASDated: 09.10.2025C O R A MTHE HONOURABLE MR.JUSTICE M.DHANDAPANIW.P.No.16777 of 2023K.Venkataramani ... PetitionerVs 1.The Secretary to GovernmentPublic (Law officers) Department Government of tamil NaduFort St. George, chennai 9.2.The Additional Chief Secretary to GovernmentRevenue Department,Fort St George chennai 9.3. The Commissioner of Revenue Administrationand Disaster Management Chepauk, Chennai 54.The Commissioner of Urban Land Ceilingand Urban Tax Department, Ehilagam, Chennai 55. The Commissioner of Land ReformsChepauk, Chennai 56.The District CollectorChennai District No 66 Rajaji Salai Chennai 17. The District CollectorSalem District, Salem8. The District CollectorDharmapuri District DharmapuriPage No:1/10 https://www.mhc.tn.gov.in/judis W.P.No.16777 of 20239.The District Collectorancheepuram District, Kancheepuram10. The District CollectorTiruvallur District Tiruvallur11.The District CollectorCuddalore district Cuddalore12.The District CollectorVellore District Vellore13. The District CollectorVillupuram District14.The Sub CollectorHosur Sub- Division, Krishnagiri District15. The Sub CollectorMettur Dam, Salem District16. The Sub CollectorTirupattur Sub Division Vellore District17. The Personal Assistant (General)To the District collector Krishnagiri District18. The Revenue Divisional officerAmbattur Tiruvallur District19. The Revenue Divisional officerTiruthani Division, Tiruvallur District20.The Revenue Divisional officerkarur Trichy District21. The Revenue Divisional officerAriyalur Sub-Division Ariyalur22.The Revenue Divisional officerVillupuram23. The Revenue Divisional officerkrishnagiri Division, krishnagir.Page No:2/10 https://www.mhc.tn.gov.in/judis W.P.No.16777 of 202324.The Revenue Divisional officerDharmapuri District25. The Revenue Divisional officerSub-Collector, Perambalur District26. The Revenue Divisional officerSalem, District, Salem27. The Revenue Divisional officerCoimbatore District, Coimbatore28. The Revenue Divisional officerHarur, Dharmapuri District29.The Revenue Divisional officerTambaram, Chennai30.The TahsildarSholinganallur, chengalpattu Respondents PRAYER : Petition filed under Article 226 of the Constitution of India praying for the issuance of a Writ of Mandamus directing the respondents to sanction draw and disbrse the legal fees due to the petitioner for the service rendered as Additional Advocate General VII for the State of tamil Nadu, before the Honble Supreme Court of India and this Honble High Court in accordance with the G.O.Ms.No. 1033, public (Law officers)Department dated 01.11.2010, G.O. Ms. No 356 Public (Law officers) Department dated 24.04.2017 and G.O(D) No 997 Home (Courts IV) Department dated 19.10.2016 along with interest @ 12 percentage p.a. from the date of the claim till the date of realisation within a reasonable time. For Petitioner : Mr.L.Chandrakumar For Respondents : Mr.M.Rajendiran, Additional Government Pleader (HR & CE)Page No:3/10 https://www.mhc.tn.gov.in/judis W.P.No.16777 of 2023O R D E R The present petition has been filed by the petitioner seeking a direction to the respondents to sanction, draw and disburse the legal fees due to the petitioner towards the service rendered as Additional Advocate General for the State of Tamil Nadu before the Supreme Court. 2. It is the case of the petitioner that he was one among the Senior counsel representing the State of Tamil Nadu in the Supreme Court and that he was appointed Addl. Advocate General VII vide the orders of the Government in GO Ms. No.15, Home (Courts) Dept., dated 15.2.2016 and that he assumed office in the first week of March, 2016. Thereafter, vide the orders of the Government dated 1.8.2016, the petitioner was transferred to the State and took charge as Addl. Advocate General VII in the High Court on 4.8.2016 and has been appearing on behalf of the Government in a number of cases on the basis of instructions received from the various officials of the Government as well as Government Pleader and Government Advocate and had appeared in number of cases till December, 2017, but the bills have not been sanctioned/disbursed by the Government so far inspite of repeated representations since October, 2021 to till date. Therefore left with no other option, the present petition has been filed.Page No:4/10 https://www.mhc.tn.gov.in/judis W.P.No.16777 of 20233. On the earlier occasion, on behalf of the respondents, it was submitted that partial fees have been released and that the respondents require some details for finalising the amount to be released to the petitioner and the petitioner was directed to approach the respondents so as to facilitate the respondents to release the amounts due to the petitioner.4. The matter has been pending since 2023, when the aforesaid order had come to be passed. However, it is borne out by record that the entire amount has not been released to the petitioner till date, inspite of the fact that the petitioner had appeared before the respondents and provided the details sought for.5. In such view of the matter, this Court makes it clear that once a counsel is entrusted with appearance, it is the duty of the State to pay the fees due to the counsel. However, the fees pertaining to the period till 2017 is yet to be settled in full to the petitioner, as it is not in dispute that the petitioner was the Addl. Advocate General appointed by the State during the said period. Further, it is also not the case of the respondents that the entire amount towards the fees has been paid to the petitioner.Page No:5/10 https://www.mhc.tn.gov.in/judis W.P.No.16777 of 2023 6. In view of the above, this Court, without going into the further intricacies of the case, directs the 1st respondent to settle the fees due to the petitioner for representing the State based on the details submitted by the petitioner, less the amount already settled within a period of twelve weeks from the date of receipt of a copy of this order.7. This writ petition is disposed of with the aforesaid directions. Consequently, connected miscellaneous petition, if any, stands closed. There shall be no order as to costs. 09.10.2025Index : Yes / NoSpeaking Order / Non-speaking orderNeutral Citation Case : Yes / NoNhsTo1.The Secretary to GovernmentPublic (Law officers) Department Government of tamil NaduFort St. George, chennai 9.Page No:6/10 https://www.mhc.tn.gov.in/judis W.P.No.16777 of 20232.The Additional Chief Secretary to GovernmentRevenue Department,Fort St George chennai 9.3. The Commissioner of Revenue Administrationand Disaster Management Chepauk, Chennai 54.The Commissioner of Urban Land Ceilingand Urban Tax Department, Ehilagam, Chennai 55. The Commissioner of Land ReformsChepauk, Chennai 56.The District CollectorChennai District No 66 Rajaji Salai Chennai 17. The District CollectorSalem District, Salem8. The District CollectorDharmapuri District Dharmapuri9.The District Collectorancheepuram District, Kancheepuram10. The District CollectorTiruvallur District Tiruvallur11.The District CollectorCuddalore district Cuddalore12.The District CollectorVellore District Vellore13. The District CollectorVillupuram District14.The Sub CollectorHosur Sub- Division, Krishnagiri District15. The Sub CollectorMettur Dam, Salem District16.The Sub CollectorTirupattur Sub Division Vellore District17.Page No:7/10 https://www.mhc.tn.gov.in/judis W.P.No.16777 of 202317. The Personal Assistant (General)To the District collector Krishnagiri District18. The Revenue Divisional officerAmbattur Tiruvallur District19. The Revenue Divisional officerTiruthani Division, Tiruvallur District20.The Revenue Divisional officerkarur Trichy District21. The Revenue Divisional officerAriyalur Sub-Division Ariyalur22.The Revenue Divisional officerVillupuram23. The Revenue Divisional officerkrishnagiri Division, krishnagir.24.The Revenue Divisional officerDharmapuri District25. The Revenue Divisional officerSub-Collector, Perambalur District26. The Revenue Divisional officerSalem, District, Salem27. The Revenue Divisional officerCoimbatore District, Coimbatore28. The Revenue Divisional officerHarur, Dharmapuri District29.The Revenue Divisional officerTambaram, Chennai30.The TahsildarSholinganallur, chengalpattu Page No:8/10 https://www.mhc.tn.gov.in/judis W.P.No.16777 of 2023Page No:9/10 https://www.mhc.tn.gov.in/judis W.P.No.16777 of 2023M.DHANDAPANI, J.NhsW.P.No.16777 of 202309.10.2025Page No:10/10