Madras High Court upholds TN govt's decision to ban protests at Marina beach, says public order as important as agitation

The Madras High Court on Tuesday upheld Tamil Nadu government’s decision to prohibit holding protests at Chennai’s Marina Beach. The court observed that the beach can’t be used for agitations as public order is equally important, reported ANI. Farmers’ association leader P Ayyakannu had filed a petition in April in the Madras High Court after the police had refused permission to hold protests at the Marina beach for Cauvery water dispute, reported CNN-News18. [caption id=“attachment_5102361” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image of Marina beach in Chennai. Reuters[/caption] Ayyakannu moved the high court after the city police refused to let him protest at the beach. In his petition, Ayyakannu had said that there were plans for a 90-day hunger strike on the Cauvery matter and only if it was held at Marina, would it attract attention. However, the court had allowed the leader to stage only a day-long protest. Additional Advocate-General of Tamil Nadu 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. 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. Ever since the massive pro-jallikattu protests that rocked the Marina for more than a week last year, the popular beach has been kept out of bounds by police for any kind of agitation. The police department has also been issuing frequent prohibitory orders, banning any kind of congregation.