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2026 Supreme(Online)(Mad) 41871
IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT MADRAS
L. Victoria Gowri, J
Govindasamy – Appellant
Versus
Assistant Director of Fisheries – Respondent
W.P.No. 19308 of 2026|W.M.P.No.20564 of 2026
For the Appellants/Petitioners: V. Elangovan
For the Respondents: LSM. Hasan Fizal
The High Court, under Article 226 of the Constitution, may direct statutory authorities to consider and dispose of pending representations of citizens within a time-bound period without adjudicating upon the merits of the underlying lease claims.
Headnote:This petition involves Constitutional law regarding the right to seek administrative consideration for fishing lease extensions. The petitioners, representing a cooperative group, sought a Writ of Mandamus to direct authorities to consider their representations for an extension of fishing lease rights in a specific lake, citing losses due to environmental factors such as monsoon failure and heavy rains. The central issue was whether the statutory authorities are obligated to consider the petitioners' request for lease renewal based on circumstances beyond their control. The court addressed the scope of its powers under Article 226, determining that it would not adjudicate the merits of the fishing lease claims but rather direct the administrative respondents to process the pending representations within a defined timeframe. The court disposed of the writ petition with a direction to the respondent authorities to consider the petitioners' representations dated 06.04.2026 and 26.04.2026 and dispose of the same within a period of four weeks.
| Table of Content |
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| 1. procedural joining of petitioners in a single writ petition. (Para 1 , 2) |
| 2. representation for fishing lease extension due to natural calamities. (Para 3 , 4 , 5) |
| 3. court direction for administrative disposal of pending representations. (Para 6 , 7) |
ORDER
W.M.P.No. 20564 of 2026 seeking to permit the petitioners to join together and to file a single Writ Petition stands ordered as prayed for. 2. Seeking direction to direct the respondents 1 to 3 to consider the representation of the petitioner dated 06.04.2026 and 26.04.2026 and to allot the lease right for fishing in the “Puliyur Jambu” lake situated at Puliyur Village, Pochampalli Taluk, Krishnagiri District for the period of five years (2026-2027 to 2030-2031) to the fourth respondent society consisting of the petitioners in view of the fact that the petitioners could not carry the fishing activities in the lake for several months due to monsoon failure and heavy rain., this Writ Petition has been filed.
3. By consent, the Writ Petition itself is taken up for final disposal at the admission stage itself.
4. Heard Mr. V.Elangovan, learned counsel appearing for the petitioners and Mr. LSM. Hasan Fizal, learned Additional Government Pleader, who has taken notice on behalf of the respondents.
5. The learned counsel for the petitioner would submit that the petitioners were previously granted lease rights for fishing in Puliyur Janmbu Lake. However, the third respondent Society could not exercise those rights due to monsoon failure and heavy rains in subsequent years. Therefore, the petitioners argue that the lease rights for fishing in Puliyur Jambu Lake should be extended to them for a further period of five years. Consequently, the petitioners submitted representations dated 06.04.2026 and 26.04.2026, respectively, which were not considered, leading to this Writ Petition.
6. Considering the limited scope of the prayer made in this Writ Petition, taking into consideration the facts and circumstances of the case, this Court, without going into the merits of the case, directed the respondent Nos. 1 to 3 to consider the petitioners' representation dated 06.04.2026 and 26.04.2026 and dispose of the same within a period of four weeks from the date of receipt of a copy of this order.
7. With the above direction, the Writ Petition stands disposed of. No costs.
