No protests until COVID-19 is under control: Madras High Court

Hearing a batch of petitions that sought to stall protests and anti-CAA agitations, a division bench of Justice MM Sundresh and Justice Krishnan Ramaswamy at the Madras High Court in Chennai passed an interim order stating that mass gatherings, protests, anti-CAA agitations can’t be permitted across Tamil Nadu until the COVID-19 pandemic is brought under control. 

The court also adjourned the hearing of the pleas to prevent a larger crowd of lawyers from gathering in the court hall, given the precautionary measures that are in place to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

Besides the pending pleas, an advocate had filed a petition seeking action against a non-political Islamic organization, Tamil Nadu Thowheed Jamath, for staging an anti-CAA ‘jail -bharo’ protest in Chennai and other parts of Tamil Nadu on Wednesday. The protest involving over give thousand people was held despite the Tamil Nadu government having ordered the shutdown of malls, gyms, educational institutions, and also recommended against mass gatherings.