CHENNAI: A division bench of the Madras High Court, comprising justices R Mahadevan and Mohammed Shaffiq, on Tuesday reserved orders on a batch of appeals preferred by RSS functionaries challenging a single judge’s order to restrict the organisation’s route march within compounded premises.
Representing RSS, senior counsel NL Raja blamed TN government of trying to “stamp out” the organisation through the discriminatory order.
While it allowed five hundred events to be organised, it denied permission to RSS to take out “a peaceful route march”. Another senior counsel, G Rajagopalan, said the government could not adopt “double standards”. On one hand, government said TN remained a peaceful (state) and on the other hand, it rejected permission for a route march, citing perceived law-and-order issues.
Karthikeyan, another senior counsel appearing for RSS, said police could identify wrong doers and arrest them so as to ensure smooth conduct of the event. Countering their contentions, senior counsel and Rajya Sabha member NR Elango, representing TN, said no permission was granted for rallies but only to demonstrations in the intervening period.
Citing the situation arising out of the Coimbatore car blast, he said: “About 50,000 police personnel were deployed to protect the lives of the leaders of the organisation (RSS) ... “ Affirming that the government was willing to consider the applications for holding the route march “if they are ready to hold the event within compounded premises” and if the “atmosphere is conducive”, he said TN government wanted to protect everybody’s religious beliefs. He also said RSS itself had given up the plan to hold the event on November 6 after the court order.
HC imposes Rs 2K on man for contempt petition
Madurai: The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Tuesday imposed Rs 2,000 cost on a man for filing a contempt petition against officials who were irrelevant to the case. The petitioner, G Thirumurugan of Ramanathapuram, had filed a PIL last year seeking to reinstall an 'iconic' three-fish statue at the Madurai Railway Junction which, he said, was removed temporarily for works. The PIL was disposed of last month after government counsel informed court the statue was reinstalled. Claiming the said statement was false, Thirumurugan has filed this contempt petition.