Interesting Fact about the Madras High Court

 A mild flutter was created on 22nd September, 1915 when a German Warship sent a number of explosive shells into Madras City aiming obviously at strategic places. Some shells were aimed at the High Court Buildings that is to say at the light house on the Central dome, some of the shells struck the cornice around the flooring of the light. The broad caddapah slabs were shattered and Madras was full of excitement till the Warship Emton was reported to have left the Bay under pursuit of British Warships. Ironically speaking, the distinction of having been under the Germanian fire in the world war could be claimed only by our Madras High Court in the whole of India.



During the second world war, Madras itself was attacked by a squad of bombing aeroplanes on 6th April 1942 early morning. A mass evacuation started from the city. The High Court was closed in advance of its usual date of clousure and all the records and valuable papers were rushed to Coimbatore and Anantapur faraway from the possibility of attack. The vacation courts were held in Coimbatore in the building of the Forest College. Finally in or about the month of July the High Court started function after vacation but not in the present building. The High Court Appellate and criminal sides and all their offices were located at Thiagaraya Nagar in the Convent of Holy Angels Anglo Indian School in Mambalam. A seperate bungalow on the opposite side of the road was engaged to house the original side and two courts and officers. It took nearly more than a year for all the records to be brought back to their old places in the High Court buildings and start functioning.