PIL against holding of dharnas near Valluvar Kottam

Chennai: The Madras high court has ordered notice to the commissioner of police and Chennai corporation commissioner on a public interest litigation, which sought a direction to the authorities to remove the area ‘Near Valluvar Kottam’ from the list of approved places for conducting ‘Fasts/Dharnas and Protests’.

A division bench comprising Justices M. Sathyanarayanan and P.Rajamanickam posted to January 4, 2019, further hearing of the PIL filed by Lake Area Residents Association.

The bench said the present petition is styled as a PIL filed by a Residents Welfare Association by submitting that on account of permission being granted in the lake area to conduct public demonstration, public meeting, procession etc., the residents are put to irreparable loss, grave hardship and mental agony and despite very many representations submitted to the authorities concerned to abate such kind of nuisances, no response at all is forthcoming and therefore the petitioner is constrained to approach this court by filing the present petition, the bench added.

The bench said Additional government pleader A.Udayakumar submitted that while granting such permission 16 conditions were imposed and in a week spanning 7 days, permission was being granted only for 3 days on an average and if any violation and infraction was made, the authorities concerned were dealing with the same sternly and promptly and sought time to file counter affidavit with supporting documents, the bench added.

 In its petition filed through advocate Adithya Reddy, the association also sought to restrain the authorities from permitting any ‘fasts/dharnas/protests’ near Valluvar Kottam, pending disposal of its petition.