Latest News | Consider Plea for Police Protection for AIADMK Meet: HC

Chennai, June 21 (PTI): The Madras High Court on Tuesday directed the police authorities to consider the plea for police protection to the opposition AIADMK's General Council and Executive Committee meeting, scheduled to be held at a marriage hall at Vanagaram here on June 23 and pass appropriate orders in an unbiased manner.

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A direction to this effect was given by Justice N Satish Kumar, on the writ petition from P Benjamin, secretary of the Tiruvallur central district of the party. The general council is the highest decision-making body of the AIADMK, which has been witnessing internal rumblings over the 'unitary leadership,' issue over the past few days, with the supporters divided between coordinator O Panneerselvam and joint coordinator K Palaniswami over the matter.

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When the matter came up today, senior advocate Vijay Narayan, representing the petitioner told the judge that the party had applied for police protection to Thiruverkadu police inspector on June 8 and 15 but there was no reply. When it was intimated that more than 2,500 members, including ex-MLAs, MPs and ministers would be attending the meeting on June 23, the authorities ought to have taken up the issue seriously and sent a reply granting police protection. Their lackadaisical attitude in not considering the representations is highly arbitrary. There was a genuine apprehension of disruptions at the meeting, he added.

Another senior counsel Arvind Pandian submitted Panneerselvam had written to Palaniswami seeking to postpone the meet, as the special invitees, consisting of senior party members, were not invited. He was also proposing to submit a petition to the police with regard to the possibility of occurrence of certain disruptions and creation of problems at the meet.

State Public Prosecutor Hassan Mohammed Jinnah told the judge that the police had raised a set of 26 questions with regard to the meeting, but there was no reply so far. Once the same was submitted, the police would not hesitate to pass orders.

And the judge directed Aravind Pandian to furnish the details called for by the police by Tuesday itself. The authorities concerned shall consider all the issues relating to the meet and pass appropriate orders in an unbiased manner, the judge added and disposed of the petition.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)