CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu government has submitted before the Madras High Court that the State has waived the rental amount of the properties leased out by urban local bodies considering the COVID-19 pandemic.

Justice R Suresh Kumar heard a contempt petition filed by M Ponnusamy seeking to punish the government officials including the Chief Secretary Shiv Das Meena for "wilful and deliberate disobedience" of a court order which directed to waive the lease amount.

Additional Advocate General (AAG) V Arun appeared for the State submitted that in compliance with the court order, the government has come forward to allot a sum of Rs.136.44 crore for waiver of the lease amount for the lockdown period of COVID-19 between 2020-2021.

The government order also issued in June 2023, stated that the payment of the lease amount by the lessees in respect of the leased out properties of urban local bodies covering Chennai Corporation, other corporations, municipalities, and town panchayats has been waived for the first and second wave of Covid 19.

It further submitted the petitioner's lease rent, the sum of Rs.11.36 lakh also waived in the effect of the government order.

After the submission, the judge closed the contempt petition.