The Madras High Court on Thursday granted permission to P. Ayyakannu, a farmers’ association leader who created a stir in 2017 through his novel forms of protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi demanding farm loan waiver, to stage a peaceful agitation at Chepauk here on Monday demanding declaration of the State as drought affected and consequently postponing the collection of farm loans.
Though he had requested permission for 25 days to stage agitation at Chepauk, Justice M.S. Ramesh refused to order grant of permission for that many days following stiff opposition from the police department. The judge ordered that the agitation must begin at 10 a.m. and end by 5 p.m. on Monday and that the petitioner must comply with all reasonable conditions imposed by the police before granting permission for the protest.