CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Wednesday quashed 11 cases registered against the protesters of Melma village in Tiruvannamalai district in connection with their 128-day-long stir (in 2023) against the proposed acquisition of about 3,000 acres of farmland for the expansion of the SIPCOT industrial park.
Justice G K Ilanthiraiyan passed the orders on the petitions filed by A Arul, who led the stir, K Pachaiyappan and J Chandiran praying for quashing all the 11 cases, which included four FIRs, five cases pending in the local court and two that are now at the trial stage.
Advocates Sudha Ramalingam and Henri Tiphagne, who appeared for the petitioners, submitted that all cases were registered by the police stations at Anakkavoor, Vandavasi, Cheyyar, and Tiruvannamalai East, even though they were peaceful protests (for 128 days). Subsequently, 21 persons were arrested in November 2023. Later, seven were detained under the Goondas Act.
After widespread outrage, the detention orders against six were revoked, but the authorities refused to revoke the detention of Arul who spearheaded the stir. However, the HC, after a habeas corpus petition, quashed the detention order against him.