The Madras High Court on Thursday ruled in favor of proceeding with the Formula 4 Street Car Race, marking South Asia’s first night race, scheduled to take place in Chennai from August 31 to September 1. This decision came after the Tamil Nadu government committed to providing the necessary Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) certification before the event begins.
The court, under the first bench comprising Acting Chief Justice D Krishnakumar and Justice P B Balaji, issued interim orders to allow the 3.7 km race without causing disruptions to the city’s traffic. The state has been directed to produce the FIA certificate by noon on the day of the race and to also provide a copy to the petitioner, A N S Prasad, a BJP spokesperson who raised concerns about the event.
Advocate General P S Raman and senior counsel P R Raman, representing the state and Racing Promotions Private Limited (RPPL) respectively, assured the court that all preparations, including obtaining the FIA Homologation certificate, would be completed timely. The court was informed that the FIA license is typically issued only a day or a few hours before such events.
The petitioner, represented by senior advocate V Raghavachari, argued that the race would inconvenience the public due to the necessary closure of multiple streets within the city. He claimed that this temporary road closure contravened the provisions of the Chennai City Municipality Corporation Act, 1919, and argued that the race was not in the public interest.
