MADURAI: Passing orders on a petition filed against harassment by police during investigation into the anti-Sterlite protest in Thoothukudi, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court gave instructions to the government to follow the legal procedures while conducting the investigation.
P Santhanasekar, an advocate and district council member of CPI in Thoothukudi, in a petition, submitted that police personnel attached to various police stations in the district, searched for him in his house in the night hours of June 13 and 14, without following any rules stated in the law.
The petitioner further submitted that though he was part of the protest, he was unarmed and did not indulge in any violence. He prayed to the court to issue directions to the police not to harass him in the guise of investigation.
Justice D Krishnakumar directed the police to follow the appropriate procedures prescribed by the law while conducting investigation. Police should proceed to take action only if there is any evidence against the protestors proving their involvement in instigating violence, said the judge.
Evacuation of acid completed
Thoothukudi: The evacuation process of the sulphuric acid from the Sterlite Copper premises had been completed, said Collector Sandeep Nanduri during a press brief held after the weekly grievance redress meeting here on Monday. He said he was awaiting further orders from the government regarding the process. Sandeep Nanduri said that the over 2124 tonnes of sulphuric acid stored in a dyke had been dispatched to the recipient units functioning at different places in the state. Over 95 tankers were pressed into action to evacuate the acid, he added. The collector said that the other acids present at the plan too would be moved out.
Vanchinathan’s wife files habeas corpus
Madurai: Nandini, wife of advocate S Vanchinathan, who was recently arrested in connection with the anti-Sterlite protest in Thoothukudi, has filed a Habeas corpus petition at the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court, seeking interim order restraining the State government from invoking any preventive detention against him under National Security Act, 1980. She prayed the court to direct the police to furnish details of the cases pending against Vanchinathan. The petitioner submitted that her husband, Vanchinathan participated in the protest only to provide legal assistance.
Baba Ramdev tweets in support of Vedanta
Chennai: In a controversial tweet, yoga guru Baba Ramdev has thrown his weight behind Vedanta Sterlite and claimed international conspirators were behind the recent protests in Thoothukudi. He tweeted a picture with Vedanta’s executive chairman Anil Agarwal and his wife in London and said, “I salute his contribution in the national building process by creating lakh of jobs and economic prosperity.” It was followed by another tweet saying, “International conspirators created ruckus at one of Vedanta’s plants in South of India through innocent local people.
Industries are the temples of development for the nation. They should not be closed,” Ramdev said. Within no time, he was trolled in the social media and many called him ‘insensitive’ for not giving any heed to environmental and life loss.