logo
Madras High Court allows PMK rally with strict conditions to prevent law and order issues

Madras High Court allows PMK rally with strict conditions to prevent law and order issues

CHENNAI: Amid apprehensions expressed over the likelihood of unseemly events during the PMK's ambitious 'Chithirai Muzhu Nilavu' rally and conference scheduled to be held on May 11, the Madras High Court on Thursday ordered the party to furnish an undertaking to the police for strict adherence to the pre-conditions to ensure no law and order problems are created.
A division bench of justices N Mala and G Arul Murugan issued the orders while disposing of a public interest litigation (PIL) petition seeking to deny permission to the PMK's conference to be held at Thiruvidanthai, near Tiruporur.
'The respondent (PMK) shall furnish an undertaking to the North Zone Police IG to the effect that the conditions imposed by the police will scrupulously be adhered to,' the bench said in the order. It also instructed the organisers of the conference to ensure none of the participants carry any arms or ammunitions while attending the event.
The bench directed the North Zone IG to strictly monitor the conduct of the conference and deploy additional contingents of the personnel to ensure no law and issues are created during the programme. Further, it granted liberty to government authorities to impose any such conditions that are deemed necessary to regulate participants, apart from the 42 conditions already imposed.
The PIL, filed by J Muthukumar of Madambakkam, recalled the widespread violence and large scale damaging of public property during a similar PMK rally in 2013, and sought the court to restrain the officials concerned from granting permission to the rally and conference which coincides with the Chithirai Pournami festival.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Amid brutality row, new video shows Chennai cop hitting student, boy defends him
Amid brutality row, new video shows Chennai cop hitting student, boy defends him

India Today

timean hour ago

  • India Today

Amid brutality row, new video shows Chennai cop hitting student, boy defends him

After the video of a policeman assaulting a boy inside a police station in Chennai was widely circulated on social media, another visual of the boy has surfaced where he is seen defending the earlier footage of the assault shows the officer pulling the boy by his hair and hitting him with what appears to be a plastic pipe, resembling a fibre optic cable cover. The incident reportedly took place a year ago inside a police station, though the clip began circulating on social media only an unexpected turn, the policeman, identified as Hari, released another video where the boy is seen speaking on camera, saying: 'This happened a year ago. Now I'm going to work. I know him well ... more than a year. I don't drink anymore. He saved me twice while I was to be taken under remand. He only helped me as I was studying and I only had my mother.' The video surfaced just days after the custodial death of 27-year-old Ajith Kumar in Sivagangai district, which has sparked outrage over police brutality in Tamil Nadu. Ajith's post-mortem report revealed 44 injuries, including chilli powder applied to his back, mouth, and ears. The Madras High Court called his death a 'brutal act' and criticised the police, saying 'the state has killed its own citizen.' A video of Ajith Kumar being beaten using a stick also came to light amid the policeman hitting the boy is the third such incident captured on camera as another case of police assault, in Theni district, came to light after a lawyer obtained CCTV footage through the Right to Information (RTI) Act. That video, from January this year, shows police beating Ramesh, an autorickshaw driver, inside the Devanathanpatti police station. Ramesh had been detained for allegedly causing a public nuisance while Pandiarajan, who released the Theni footage, said he did so to highlight how police brutality continues to be a recurring problem in Tamil Nadu.- EndsMust Watch IN THIS STORY#Tamil Nadu

BSP leader Armstrong murder: Brother moves Madras High Court seeking CBI probe
BSP leader Armstrong murder: Brother moves Madras High Court seeking CBI probe

The Hindu

time2 hours ago

  • The Hindu

BSP leader Armstrong murder: Brother moves Madras High Court seeking CBI probe

The Madras High Court, on Thursday (July 3, 2025) directed the Sembium police in Chennai to file its counter affidavit to a plea seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the murder of former Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) state president K. Armstrong on July 5, 2024. Justice P. Velmurugan directed Additional Public Prosecutor R. Muniyapparaj to ensure the counter was filed by July 18 and directed the High Court Registry to list the plea, filed by the late politician's younger brother K. Immanuvel, for further hearing on July 21. The petitioner had sought transfer of the case from Greater Chennai City police to CBI on the ground that there were serious contradictions and material shortcomings in the probe conducted by the Sembium police leading to doubts over the impartial nature of the investigation. In his affidavit, the petitioner complained that the Sembium police had concluded the investigation in October 2024 and filed a 5,000-page charge sheet against 30 named individuals by projecting gang rivalry, and not any political reason, as the sole motive behind the murder. 'Political angles excluded' 'The deceased was an active Dalit rights advocate. Yet, political angles and threats from vested interests have been consciously excluded. The deliberate anchoring of motive to an alleged gang rivalry is an attempt to insulate political perpetrators,' the petitioner told the court. He also brought to the notice of the court that eight armed assailants, disguised as food delivery agents, had hacked the politician to death as reflected in the First Information Report but the police had gone about listing as many as 30 accused in the charge sheet without arresting some of them. Pointing out that the charge sheet itself states that at least two key conspirators were absconding, the petitioner said, the failure to apprehend them 'signifies either collusion, dereliction, or political shielding.' The petitioner also accused the police of having deliberately ignored the statements of key witnesses. He said, the statements given by the Armstrong's wife Porkodi and the Bar Council of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry chairman P.S. Amalraj had not been taken into consideration. 'This selective approach undermines the investigation's objectivity and reveals an attempt to construct a preferred narrative,' he added. The petitioner also relied upon a few Supreme Court decisions to contend that a CBI probe could be ordered even after the city police had completed the investigation and filed a final report before the jurisdictional court.

Transformer procurement ‘scam': Will soon decide on permitting DVAC to register FIR, T.N. govt. tells Madras HC
Transformer procurement ‘scam': Will soon decide on permitting DVAC to register FIR, T.N. govt. tells Madras HC

The Hindu

time6 hours ago

  • The Hindu

Transformer procurement ‘scam': Will soon decide on permitting DVAC to register FIR, T.N. govt. tells Madras HC

The Tamil Nadu government on Thursday (July 3, 2025) informed the Madras High Court that a competent authority would take a call within a week or 10 days on the issue of granting permission to register a First Information Report (FIR) regarding an alleged scam in the procurement of distribution transformers during the tenure of former Electricity Minister V. Senthilbalaji between 2021 and 2023. Appearing before Justice P. Velmurugan, Advocate General P.S. Raman said, since a decision was expected shortly, nothing would survive in a writ petition filed by anti-corruption organisation Arappor Iyakkam, which had sought a direction to the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) to register the FIR on the basis of its complaint lodged nearly two years ago. On the other hand, advocate V. Suresh, representing the complainant, urged the court to look into the records to find whether there had been cartelisation and collusive bidding, pursuant to the tenders floated for the supply of transformers. He sought a short adjournment to present a tabulation of the details of the complaint. Accepting his request, the judge adjourned the hearing on the matter. Filing an affidavit on behalf of the petitioner organisation, its managing trustee Jayaram Venkatesan had also insisted upon a High Court-monitored probe by a Special Investigation Team (SIT), since the materials it collected had reportedly revealed a loss to the tune of ₹397 crore to the public exchequer due to collusive bidding for supply of the transformers to the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (Tangedco). The deponent told the court that distribution transformers were used to step down the voltage used in distribution lines to a level that is usable by the end consumer. Tangedco procures these transformers in various capacities, ranging from 25 KVA to 500 KVA, depending on the load capacity requirements. The procurement generally takes place by inviting tenders through The petitioner organisation analysed 10 tenders floated between 2021 and 2023 for the procurement of 45,800 distribution transformers. The total value of those tenders floated by Tangedco amounted to ₹1,182.88 crore. The examination of the tenders was undertaken from the viewpoint of the number of participating bidders, the value quoted by each bidder, the prevailing market rate, and other parameters to find out if there were any irregularities. The elaborate exercise led to the finding that in seven of the 10 tenders, there was clear evidence of unjust enrichment to the contractors through collusive bidding and cartelisation, and the resultant loss to the public exchequer was found to be ₹397 crore, Arappor Iyakkam claimed. 'It is interesting to note that in each of the 10 tenders, more than 26 bidders were shown to have participated, thereby creating an apparent image of healthy competition, but what is to be noted is that in all tenders, almost all bidders had quoted exactly the same price corrected to the same decimal points,' the affidavit read. It went on to state: 'It is mathematically near to a zero probability for more than 20 bidders to have quoted the exact same rate in tenders. The only logical and plausible conclusion that follows from this fact is that these bidders have conspired and colluded amongst themselves to prefix the rate and had thus snuffed out the competition and made a mockery of the tender process.' Stating there were materials to suspect the involvement of then Minister Senthilbalaji, Tangedco chairman and managing director Rajesh Lakhoni, and Financial Controller (Purchase) V. Kasi in the entire process, the petitioner had included all three of them as respondents to the writ petition. On Thursday, Mr. Suresh said, he had taken a private notice to the former Minister and that it was served at his residences in Chennai and Karur.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store