CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has restrained the State government from shifting the Anna Centenary Library from Kotturpuram to the Directorate of Public Instructions (DPI) campus on College Road in Nungambakkam.The First Bench comprising Chief Justice M Y Eqbal and Justice T S Sivagnanam granted the stay while passing interim orders on three public interest writ petitions, on Friday.While the first petitioner, advocate P Pugalenthi, sought to restrain the government from doing so, second and third petitioners R Prabakaran and S T Manonmani, respectively, challenged a resolution of the State Cabinet dated November 2, which made the proposal and a government order issued the same day.Senior advocate P Wilson and others contended that the building, specifically constructed to locate the Anna Library at a cost of about Rs 200 crore in a sprawling area of eight acres covering 3.33 lakh sqft, could not be put to use for any other purpose.When the matter came up on Friday, Advocate-General A Navaneethakrishnan produced the copies of the resolution and the GO and stated that the government was not proposing to shift the library immediately. It would be done only after the construction of the Integrated Knowledge Park was completed at the DPI campus.The High Court bench directed the AG to file the counter to consider whether shifting of the library was justified. Posting the matter after six weeks, the bench said that in the meantime and until furthers orders on the petitions, the decision to shift the library should remain stayed.
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