The Madras High Court on Thursday directed the Mayiladuthurai Collector and the Superintendent of Police to provide protection for ‘Pattina Pravesam’, a ritual of carrying the pontiff on a palanquin, to be held at Dharmapuram Adheenam on May 22 since there is threat of some fringe elements creating law and order problem.
Justices G.R. Swaminathan and Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy passed the orders while disposing of a public interest litigation petition filed by Raja Sivaprakasam, a daily wager from Villivakkam in Chennai, who apprehended that people opposed to ‘Pattina Pravesam’ might create trouble during the event.
Advocate V. Raghavachari, representing the Adheenam, told the court that the institution was interested in getting impleaded in the case and that it also feared threat from fringe elements. Therefore, the judges impleaded the Adheenam, represented by its general manager, suo motu and asked it to make a representation seeking police protection.
On receipt of such representation, the Collector and the SP were directed to provide necessary protection. Earlier, Advocate General R. Shunmugasundaram told the court that the police would anyway be providing sufficient security to ensure maintenance of law and order.
In his affidavit, the litigant pointed out that the Mayiladuthurai Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO) had on April 27 banned ‘Pattina Pravesam’ on the ground that a human being could not be allowed to be carried by fellow human beings. However, the ban order was withdrawn on May 8 after pontiffs from various mutts met Chief Minister M.K. Stalin.
Claiming that the ban itself was imposed due to pressure from various fringe groups after Governor R.N. Ravi paid a visit to Dharmapuram Adheenam recently, the litigant feared that those groups might create law and order problem during ‘Pattina Pravesam’.
