CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has directed Royapettah police to allow the DMK party to hold public meetings in lieu of Pongal festival at Lloyds Road-VM Road junction in the evening of January 13-14.
Justice MM Sundresh gave the directive while allowing two recent writ petitions, one from RN Durai and the other from Tamilarasu. Earlier, opposing grant of any relief, Additional Government Pleader P Sanjai Gandhi submitted that the area in question was congested. Two temples were located near the junction. The Royapettah police had denied permission, he argued. DMK senior counsel P Wilson said the party had been holding public meetings on the same days at the same venue for years. Granting the relief, the judge said it was not in dispute that the petitioners had been holding the meetings every year.