The High Court on Thursday permitted Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi leader Thol Thirumavalavan to pass through Villupuram district to visit Chidambaram and Puducherry.
Following the violent incident at Marakkanam last month, the Villupuram District Collector on May 16 passed an order prohibiting Mr. Thirumavalavan, MP representing Chidambaram constituency, from entering the district or organising any kind of political activities. Hence, he filed a writ petition in the Madras High Court seeking to quash the order. He contended that he was not in a position to visit his Chidambaram parliamentary constituency where a Parliamentary Committee on Local Area Development Scheme was scheduled to visit from May 28 to June 1.
Passing an interim order on his petition, Justice K.K. Sasidharan directed the district authority to permit Mr. Thirumavalavan to travel through Villupuram district to reach Chidambaram on May 30 and 31 in accordance with his tour programme. He should use National Highways via Tindivanam and should not undertake travel by East Coast Road.
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Recording an undertaking given by his counsel, the court also said that Mr. Thirumavalavan should not attend any public meeting, reception or organise meetings with his cadre and every effort should be taken by him to comply with the undertaking.
Mr. Justice Sasidharan also said, “It is open to the district authority to impose other reasonable conditions to ensure that Mr. Thirumavalavan’s journey through the district does not cause any law and order problem.”