The Supreme Court has appointed its former judge L. Nageswara Rao as a mediator to resolve the disputes between Cosmopolitan Club in Chennai and Tamil Nadu Golf Federation (TNGF) with respect to the ongoing construction of a club house on the Cosmo-TNGF golf course.
The court, however, did not pass any interim order restraining the federation from going ahead with the construction work. A Bench of Justices M.R. Shah and Krishna Murari merely appointed Justice Rao as a mediator and directed only the club to bear his entire remuneration.
The judges also requested the mediator to submit a report before the court by November 25 and directed the Registry to list on November 29 an appeal preferred by the club challenging Madras High Court’s August 11 order refusing to injunct TNGF from constructing the club house.
Though a stay application had been filed along with the appeal, Senior Counsel P.R. Raman, representing TNGF, told the Bench that the construction was almost complete and that the members of the Cosmopolitan Club were welcome to become members of the federation too.
He asserted that the fear of the office-bearers of Cosmopolitan Club was unfounded and that its golf playing members would not be prevented in any way. They would also be permitted to use the golf course as well as the club house, under construction, on payment of the stipulated charges, he said.
However, since Senior Counsel C.S. Vaidyanathan, representing Cosmopolitan Club, felt that the dispute could be resolved through mediation, the Bench appointed a mediator at the cost of the Club.
