MADURAI: The Madurai bench of the Madras High Court recently told the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) that if the Tamil Nadu government makes any request seeking its permission to continue the excavations in Adichanallur, Thoothukudi, the ASI should consider it positively and extend full cooperation for the excavation.
A bench of justices G Jayachandran and K K Ramakrishan said this while disposing of a PIL filed by S Kamaraj alias Muthalakurichi Kamaraj in 2017, seeking direction to continue the excavations in the above site.
The judges noted that the court had kept the above PIL pending for nearly eight years, and pursuant to the court’s continuous monitoring, the state government was able to excavate the Adichanallur region and establish a museum in that area.
If the state experts feel that further excavation would help them discover more materials, it is open to the state to seek ASI’s permission, since the said area is now under ASI’s control, the judges observed. If such a request is made by the state, the ASI should consider it in the above manner, they added.
The bench also disposed of another PIL filed by Kamaraj in 2019, in which he had sought direction to conduct excavations in Sivagalai village in Srivaikundam taluk of Thoothukudi. Noting that following some directions issued by the court in this PIL in the past, the state had excavated, published an excavation report, and planned to display the artefacts in the Porunai Museum, the judges disposed of the second PIL as well.