Chennai: The Madras High Court today upheld State government’s decision to prohibit holding protests at Marina Beach.
The court observed that the beach can’t be used for agitations as public order is equally important.
Farmers’ association leader P Ayyakannu had filed a petition in April with the Madras High Court after the police had refused permission to hold protests at the Marina beach for Cauvery water dispute.
In his petition, Ayyakannu had stated that he wanted to hold a 90-day hunger strike on the Cauvery river water issue.
A protest in Marina would attract more attention. However, the court had allowed the leader to stage only a day-long protest.
Additional Advocate-General Arvindh Pandian had responded saying that with the exception of the jallikattu protests in 2017, no protests had taken place at the beach since 2003.
Arvindh Pandian said the authorities were ready to give permission to the petitioner provided the petitioner seeks to protest in the selected places such as Chepauk Guest House, Valluvar Kottam that too for a period of five days only.
In March 2018, a group of individuals converged at the Marina beach in Chennai and staged a flash protest urging the Centre to immediately set up the Cauvery Water Management Board in compliance with a 16 February Supreme Court order on the decades-old river water-sharing dispute.
When the court granted permission to stage a day’s fast, a review petition was filed on behalf of City Police Commissioner.
It came up before Justice Sasidharan and Justice R Subramanian. After hearing arguments they delivered their verdict today.
They upheld State government’s decision to prohibit holding protests at Marina Beach and also observed that the beach cant be used for agitations as public order is equally important.