HC bans protests at Chennai's Marina, says public order equally important

The Madras High Court on Monday upheld Tamil Nadu government's decision to ban protests at the Marina Beach in Chennai. The court ruled that the space near the shore cannot be used for organising agitations and observed that the public order is equally important.

Hearing an appeal filed by the Tamil Nadu government, the court set aside a single-bench ruling allowing permission to farmer leader P. Ayyakannu to hold a protest at the Marina beach to demand constitution of Cauvery Management Board.

A division bench comprising of Justice K.K. Sasidharan and R. Subramanian had earlier stayed the single judge bench order. 

On April 28, the single judge bench had allowed the protests saying, “If the British had banned using Marina Beach as a protest venue then Marina would not have witnessed Mahatma Gandhi or BalGangadhar Thilak on its sands for the noble cause of freedom.” However, the state government filed a review petition, arguing that protests at Marina would cause public disruption. 

The division bench hearing the appeal noted that public order was equally important. The government had been opposing permissions to any kind of protests at Marina after the Jallikattu protests in 2017, which was a huge success. After the Jallikattu protests, the government had issued prohibitory orders against holding any protests or rally at the beach.