Madras HC ex-judge expresses displeasure over cordoning off Chennai's Ambedkar memorial until CM's visit

Chennai, April 15 (IANS) A former judge of the Madras High Court expressed displeasure after the Tamil Nadu Police cordoned off the Ambedkar memorial in Chennai's Raja Annamalaipuram area in view of Chief Minister M.K. Stalin's visit to the site on Sunday.

Chief Minister Stalin visited the memorial to pay tributes on the birth anniversary of B.R. Ambedkar.

Madras High Court retired judge D. Hariparanthaman protested against the police decision and openly expressed his displeasure.

He told media persons that he had gone to the memorial to attend a 'self-respect' marriage scheduled to take place in the morning. However, he found that the couple, their family members and friends were not allowed inside the memorial citing the protocol. They were asked to wait until the Chief Minister pays a visit to the memorial.

When the former judge explained that the marriage would get over in hardly 10 minutes, the police agreed to allow him and the couple alone inside the memorial but not anyone else.

The retired judge said that he wondered how could such a restriction be imposed on family members and friends.

Dravidar Viduthalai Kazhagam president Kolathu Mani said that the marriage was performed outside the memorial after registering strong protest to police action.

Addressing a gathering of activists, retired judge Hariparanthaman said: "We are not making it an issue because we do not want this government to earn a bad name on the birth anniversary of Ambedkar. We were prepared to leave the premises before the Chief Minister arrives but it was not proper to prevent us from entering until he arrives."

He also said: "We have actually been supporting the ruling DMK in the ongoing Lok Sabha poll campaign and had also decided to take the oath 'Let all of us vote and save the Constitution'. This oath was to be taken in front of the Ambedkar statue but the police didn’t allow it."

The judge also said that two noted publishers of Tamil Nadu, K. Senthamizhselvi and Niranjan Vijayan had filed a writ petition in the High Court complaining about a similar restriction imposed by the police last year because of which the general public was able to pay respects at the memorial only for two hours.

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