The Ashram Matriculation School in Guindy run by Rajinikanth’s wife Latha, was sealed on Wednesday morning due to alleged non-payment of rent amounting to Rs. 2 crore, to the building owners.
Sources close to the building owner Venkateshvaralu confirmed the same to TNM. They also said that the 300 students studying in the school have been shifted to another branch of the same school in Velachery.
However, the Ashram Group of Institutions denied these allegations. In its press release, it stated, “This is for the information of the general public- The management of The Ashram School requests the public not to believe in news being circulated regarding the school. Kindly wait for our official press release regarding the same.”
When TNM tried contacting the school, they refused to comment on the issue.
In 2016, about 28 drivers working at the school had protested inside the premises in Velachery that they had been getting salaries in the last week of the month for the last six months. However, the management had put the blame on bank holidays, Cyclone Vardah and demonetisation, reported Deccan Chronicle.
The school has put out the following statement and has refuted the allegations. The school says they have moved out and it has not been 'sealed'.
"We have been running our school in the premises of Guindy for more than a decade now. We have faced a lot of harassment in the recent past due to the family disputes of our landlord. We have already discussed and decided with him to vacate the premises and negotiations are going on to settle the matter.
In the meanwhile, using the media, the landlord has been harassing us continuously when a civil dispute is pending in the court.
Since the matter is sub judice, we would like to record this statement. We will be filing a defamation case against the landlord for making false statements to the press."