MADURAI
The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has dismissed the anticipatory bail petition filed by 24 men accused of pelting stones at police and damaging a police van in Kanniyakumari district for asking them to maintain physical distancing.
Justice G. Jayachandran dismissed the anticipatory bail plea of the accused from Puthukkadai. They were booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Tamil Nadu Public Property (Prevention of Damage and Loss) Act.
The petitioners had gathered to receive rice and other essential commodities that were being distributed by volunteers. When the police deployed there requested the men to maintain physical distancing in view of the COVID-19 pandemic, they were pelted with stones by the petitioners.
The court observed that considering the act committed by the petitioners during the lockdown period, breaching physical distancing norms and attacking the police who were frontline warriors, they did not deserve anticipatory bail.
