Jayalalithaa case hearing: Schools in Tamil Nadu to work normally today

Chennai: The Madras high court has ordered that there should be no strike or bandh on Tuesday. It directed the state government to ensure public safety by controlling law and order.

“We make it clear that if any untoward incidents take place, the state government will be held responsible”, said a division bench comprising Justices S. Vaidyanathan and R. Mahadevan after hearing petitions from the lawyers of DMK and PMK, besides a human rights outfit, who complained that the AIADMK agitations against the Bengaluru court sentencing Jayalalithaa in a disproportionate assets case were causing major disruptions of law and order. The petitioners were particularly upset about the federation of private schools declaring a holiday Tuesday as part of their pro-Jaya protests.

“There shall be no holiday on October 7 and all the schools and colleges shall function as usual”, said the bench while directing the government to “see that all the schools and colleges shall function smoothly” and no untoward incident takes place in the state. Holding a special sitting that stretched late into the evening on Monday, the bench quoted from an apex court observation thus: “For just or unjust cause, strike cannot be justified in the present day situation. Take strike in any field, it can be easily realised that that weapon does more harm than any justice. Sufferer is the society —- public at large”.