CHENNAI: The Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) has moved the Madras High Court seeking action against the Greater Chennai Police Commissioner over alleged bias in permitting political parties to hold peaceful protests.
The party’s propaganda secretary, P K Sekar, filed the petition alleging that the GCP denied permission to his party to hold a demonstration over the Anna University sexual assault at Valluvar Kottam on January 2, on the grounds that Section 41 of the Madras City Police Act mandates the submission of an application five days prior to the date of protest.
In contrast, the police granted permission to the ruling DMK to stage a protest on Tuesday, with less than a day’s notice, against the governor for walking out of the Assembly on Monday.
“The action of the police denying permission for opposition parties to protest issues concerning the public while permitting only the ruling party to conduct an agitation is against Articles 14, 19(1)(a), and 21 of the Constitution,” he said in the petition.
He noted that the DMK’s protest caused traffic congestion at several places, and the police ought not to have permitted the ruling party to hold the agitation. The petitioner prayed for a direction to the Home Secretary and the Director General of Police to take appropriate action against the Commissioner and others for the alleged violations.