The State government on Thursday sought time till September 20 to file its statement on a contempt of court case that was filed on Wednesday by Adani Vizhinjam Port Pvt. Ltd., in which it contended that an interim order by a Single Bench, directing police protection to carry out the construction works of the Vizhinjam International Seaport project, was not complied with.
The court had in its interim order passed earlier this month observed that the right to agitate or protest against any issue, including the alleged neglect and apathy of the State government would not confer a right on the agitators to contend that they had the right to obstruct the activities which had due permissions, or to trespass into the project site and cause damage to property.
The court had further said that the public protest could go on peacefully but without causing obstructions to the works and without trespassing into the project area.
The Single Bench had further ordered that in case the police were unable to maintain law and order at the site, steps shall be taken to seek necessary assistance from the Central government.
The petitioners contended that the police did not intervene, although hundreds of people led by the Latin Archdiocese, Thiruvananthapuram had been staging protests in front of the project site, blocking its entrance, following which construction works had come to a standstill.
