The Madras High Court rapped the Tamil Nadu government for going out of its way in passing a government order (GO) awarding licences to "enterprising enterprises" for quarrying granites in Semangalam tank in Villupuram of Ramaswami Padayachiar district. From 1973, the government had allowed the lessee to quarry at geographic will.

Justice J Kanakaraj held that the GO was clearly vitiated by illegal considerations and was "an arbitrary action on the part of the government".