The Madras High Court has refused to halt the Formula 4 Street Race scheduled to take place in Chennai on August 31st and September 1st, 2024.
A bench comprising Acting Chief Justice D Krishnakumar and Justice PB Balaji permitted the race to proceed, contingent on the organizers obtaining a license from the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) by 12 noon on August 31st. The court stipulated that if the license was not secured within the specified timeframe, the event could not be held.
The interim orders were issued after considering an affidavit from the Chennai City Traffic Police, which assured the court that traffic flow would remain unaffected and access to the Government Hospital would not be hindered. The court had previously dismissed a series of pleas challenging the conduct of the Formula 4 race in 2023, though the event was postponed due to Cyclone Michaung, which struck Tamil Nadu in December 2023.
The court was hearing a petition filed by ANS Prasada, a media spokesperson for the Bharatiya Janata Party. Senior Advocate V Raghavachari, representing the petitioner, informed the court that the FIA, the international body responsible for regulating the event, had not yet approved the street circuit race, and therefore, the race could not proceed on the scheduled dates.
Advocate General PS Raman and Senior Counsel PR Raman, representing the State and Racing Promotions Private Limited (RPPL) respectively, assured the court that the race would not be conducted without obtaining the FIA Homologation certificate. The court was informed that the FIA license would likely be issued only a day or a few hours before the race.
In his petition, Prasad argued that although the Sports Development Minister had assured that the State had taken measures to ensure the safety of citizens, the Minister had not specified the preventive measures implemented by the government. Additionally, there was no mention of how funds were raised or the role played by the State Government in collaboration with private promoters for the event.
Prasad also noted that the cars used in the event are specifically designed for use in enclosed spaces, raising concerns about the legality of permitting such vehicles on public roads, which would violate the Motor Vehicles Act.
It was further submitted that the proposed race, conducted in the street circuit format, would require the closure of multiple public streets. Given that the race is scheduled to take place on some of the major roads in the city, Prasad argued that road closures would cause significant inconvenience, despite the provision of alternate routes. He also highlighted the State’s failure to implement safety measures or manage traffic while setting up the event’s infrastructure.
Prasad also referenced Section 213 of the Chennai City Municipality Corporation Act, arguing that the Commissioner is only authorized to order the temporary closure of streets for repairs, drainage, lightning-related works, or other purposes specified in Schedule V. Thus, he contended that temporarily closing roads for the race would violate the provisions of the Chennai City Municipality Corporation Act of 1919.
Arguing that the race was not in the public interest, the petitioner sought to prevent its occurrence.
