Chennai’s Chrompet area witnessed heightened tension on Friday as Tambaram Corporation officials, accompanied by heavy police deployment, moved in to demolish a church building after the Madras High Court ordered its removal for being constructed without proper approval.
The structure in question belongs to the India Evangelical Lutheran Church, located on Hasthinapuram Rajendra Prasad Road in Annanagar, Chrompet. The congregation, nearly 60 years old, has been at the centre of a legal battle after a private individual filed a petition alleging that the church building was constructed without mandatory permissions.
In 2023, the Madras High Court directed that the church be demolished. The administration challenged this before the Supreme Court, but the appeal was dismissed, leaving the High Court’s demolition order intact.
Since the building remained standing, a contempt petition was later filed. Hearing the matter urgently, the High Court’s writ division bench ordered that the church must be completely demolished by 5 December 2025, warning that if the directive was not carried out, the CMDA Secretary and the Tambaram Corporation Commissioner would be required to appear in person on 8 December 2025.
Following the order, corporation officials arrived on site Friday morning with machinery and a police contingent of more than 100 personnel.
However, demolition efforts have been stalled due to protests. Church staff and local residents have been sitting inside the building since Thursday, conducting continuous prayers and objecting to the removal. Traders in the locality shut their shops and joined the demonstrations, while various political party workers also gathered at the church entrance to voice opposition.
With large groups assembled both inside and outside the premises, the area remains under high security, and officials are preparing to carry out the demolition once the situation is brought under control.
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