Don't harass peaceful protesters against Tasmac: Madras High Court

Chennai: In the wake of the Supreme Court ordering the closure of liquor shops on national and state highways more than a month ago, the Madras high court restrained authorities from opening or relocating Tasmac shops in residential areas. The court also ordered that peaceful protesters against Tasmac shops should not be arrested.

“If there is any agitation with regard to the opening or relocating of Tasmac shops, the authorities shall not arrest or take action against the agitators provided they demonstrate peacefully, without causing inconvenience to the public”, said a division bench comprising Justices N.Kirubakaran and V.Parthiban.

The bench was passing interim orders on a batch of petitions from T.Vignesh and 10 others, which sought to restrain the authorities from operating those liquor shops which were relocated in residential areas after they were removed from the highways.

Posting the matter along with a batch of pending cases, the bench said wherever there was a Grama Sabha resolution that there should not be opening or relocating of Tasmac shops in villages or towns or any local body, Tasmac shops shall not be relocated or opened.

The bench said the petitioners contended that the shops were sought to be relocated near temples, schools, factories and even in the centre of residential areas, in spite of objections raised by the public.

This is the reason why many people from various parts of the state are staging dharnas and conducting agitations. Further, it was contended that the police were interested in giving protection only to the officials to open or relocate the shops at the earliest and the people who were staging protests were attacked by the police.n P5