Tamil Nadu: The traditional palanquin program is known as ‘Pattina Pravesham’. (file)
Chennai:
The Madras High Court on Thursday directed the District Collector and Superintendent of Police in Mayiladuthurai to provide police protection for the ‘Pattina Pravesham’ event at Dharmapuram Adhinam.
A vacation bench of Justice GR Swaminathan and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamurthy gave this direction while disposing of a writ petition today.
The PIL by city resident Raja Sivaprakasam prayed for a direction to the authorities concerned at Mayiladuthurai to provide adequate security to Dharmapuram Adhinam Math and other Adhinams in the state. It also prayed for the protection of ‘Pattina Pravesam’ to be organized by Dharmapuram Adhinam on May 22 by preventing anti-social elements from protesting the customary and legal actions of Maths.
The bench itself included Dharmapuram Adhinam as a party-respondent in the petition and directed him to submit representations seeking protection to the Mayiladuthurai administrators.
The customary program known as ‘Pattina Pravesam’ is carried by the devotees on a palanquin to and around the monastery premises. The government had banned the event before withdrawing it due to strong opposition to the move.
On 27 April, the Mayiladuthurai Revenue Divisional Officer had banned the event citing apprehensions over the law and order situation in the wake of protests by the rationalist organisation, Dravida Kazhagam and other like-minded organisations. The ban order also claimed that the event was against Article 23 of the Constitution which prohibited forced labour.
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