Late Night Court Hearing For Karunanidhi Burial At Marina Beach: 10 Facts
CHENNAI, Aug 07: A bench of the Madras High Court will tonight hear a petition against the ruling AIADMK government's refusal to let DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi be buried at the Anna Square memorial at Marina Beach. Acting Chief Justice Huluvadi G Ramesh has agreed to hold a special hearing to decide the DMK's request. The state government has rejected the demand, triggering a huge political row and protests by DMK workers outside Kauvery Hospital. The DMK sees the government's denial as an effort at political one-upmanship and slight the memory of the five-time chief minister.
Here are the 10 updates on this story:
- The ruling AIADMK government had rejected the DMK's request for permission, saying it was "unable to allot space at Marina beach owing to several pending cases in the Madras High Court and legal complications."
- The government, however, said Karunanidhi could be laid to rest at a 2-acre plot near Gandhi Mandapam, the memorial dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi. It also has memorials to other chief ministers including C. Rajagopalachari, also known as Rajaji, and K Kamaraj.
- Initially, the only two Tamil Nadu chief ministers to have memorials in their honour at Marina beach were Chief Ministers CN Annadurai, who founded the DMK and MG Ramachandran, who launched the AIADMK.
- Coastal regulation zone norms, which came up later, banned fresh construction or memorials to come up within 500 metres from the water front.
- The privilege was still extended to J Jayalalithaa by the ruling AIADMK when she died in December 2016 by circumventing the ban. She was buried in the existing memorial for her mentor and former chief minister MG Ramachandran.
- The DMK says the same format should be allowed for M Karunanidhi and he should be laid to rest near the grave of his political mentor and DMK founder, CN Annadurai at Chennai's "Anna Square" memorial.
- Extending his support to the demand, Congress president Rahul Gandhi asked the ruling AIADMK to be "magnanimous in this time of grief". "Like Jayalalitha ji, Kalaignar was an expression of the voice of the Tamil people. That voice deserves to be given space on Marina Beach," he tweeted.
- The DMK had hoped this would not be a problem after three petitioners including social activist 'Traffic' Ramaswamy and advocate Duraiswamy withdrew their public interest petitions without assigning any reason. The high court also dismissed the petitions as withdrawn.
- The DMK president's body will be taken to his home in Gopalapuram in Chennai and then to Rajaji Hall for people to pay their last respects. A DMK leader said Karunanidhi's mortal remains will be laid to rest on Wednesday.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a host of Chief Ministers, Congress President Rahul Gandhi and several others from across the country are expected to fly to Chennai on Wednesday. In his message, PM Modi described Karunanidhi has one of the country's senior-most leaders, a deep-rooted mass leader and a prolific thinker.
Courtesy: www.ndtv.com
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Bengal: Over 55 pc turnout till 1 pm in repoll in 15 booths of 2 assembly seats
Kolkata (PTI): Over 55 per cent turnout was recorded till 1 pm in repoll in 15 booths of two assembly constituencies in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district on Saturday, an official said.
Voting was underway more or less peacefully at 11 polling stations of Magrahat Paschim assembly constituency and four in Diamond Harbour, where the EC ordered repoll a day ago, following reports of electoral malpractices.
However, at booth number 179 at Chanda Primary School of Diamond Harbour seat, the Trinamool Congress alleged that a specially abled voter and his mother were harassed by central forces. The alleged incident sparked protests by party workers and locals.
The TMC claimed that the voter's mother, who had entered the booth to assist him, and her son were detained for a considerable time by central forces over alleged rule violations.
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"TMC leaders Manmohini Biswas and Pratik Ur Rahman reached the spot and led the protests, with residents terming the action unwarranted harassment. The matter has been taken care of by our officials there," an official of the poll body said.
Polling was otherwise peaceful across 15 booths in the area, he added.
Voting began at 7 am and will continue till 6 pm, the official said, adding that till 1 pm, the turnout was 55.57 per cent.
Magrahat Paschim registered 56.33 per cent voter turnout, while in Diamond Harbour, it was 54.9 per cent, a poll official stated.
Voting in these two assembly constituencies was held in the second phase of the state elections on April 29.
The repoll order was based on reports received from returning officers and observers of the two constituencies and "material circumstances", the Election Commission official said.
In Magrahat Paschim, TMC's Md Samim Ahamed Molla is pitted against BJP nominee Goursundar Ghosh, while Abdul Majid Halder of the Congress and ISF candidate Abdul Aziz Al Hassan are also in the fray.
TMC candidate Panna Lal Halder is contesting against Dipak Kumar Halder of the BJP in the Diamond Harbour seat. Goutam Bhattacharya of the Congress and CPI(M)'s Samar Naiya are among other candidates.
The BJP had alleged rampant electoral malpractices in certain polling stations of both the assembly seats under the Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha constituency, which is represented by TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee.
The EC had deputed its special observer, Subrata Gupta, to fact-check the allegations from the ground.
The poll panel will decide on repolling in the Falta assembly constituency on Saturday.
The West Bengal assembly elections were held in two phases -- April 23 and April 29 -- amid unprecedented security arrangements.
Counting of votes will take place on May 4.
