Janjivan Bureau / Chennai : The Madras High Court on Wednesday allowed the burial of DMK chief M Karunanidhi on the Marina Beach here, observing that there was no legal impediment in providing a place there as sought by the party.
A division Bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Huluvadi G Ramesh and Justice S S Sundar passed the order on a petition filed by the DMK at a special hearing, marked by heated arguments by counsels representing the petitioner and the government.
It directed the state government to forthwith provide place for a decent burial of Karunanidhi, who passed away last evening, within the precincts of the burial place of DMK founder C N Annadurai in consonance with the rough sketch submitted by the petitioner.
“There is no legal impediment for not allotting the place…,” the bench said after hearing senior counsels.
“The writ petition is allowed with the direction to the respondent authorities to provide a place for decent burial to lay the mortal remains of late Kalaignar M Karunanidhi, former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, on the Marina beach…,” it said in the operative portion of the order.
Considering the exigency involved, the operative portion was released and a detailed order would follow, the bench added.
Tamil Nadu’s main opposition party had moved the court last night after the AIADMK government rejected its request for allowing the burial of Karunanidhi on the famed Marina sands alongside his mentor and former chief minister C N Annadurai, setting off a huge controversy.
After a special sitting that commenced late last night, the court had adjourned the matter at 1.15 am for hearing at 8 am today.
Soon after the court resumed the hearing this morning, all five petitions challenging former chief minister late Jayalalithaa’s burial on the Marina on different grounds were dismissed as withdrawn.
These petitions had been cited by the government for denying permission to bury the DMK stalwart on the beach, which also has memorials to former chief ministers M G Ramachandran and his protege Jayalalithaa.
Defending its decision, the state government said the previous DMK government headed by Karunanidhi had turned down a plea for burying late chief minister M G Ramachandran’s wife Janaki on ground she was not a sitting chief minister.
It also said former chief ministers such as C R Rajagopalachari, K Kamaraj and M Bhaktavatsalam had been laid to rest at the Gandhi Memorial campus, where the DMK was offered place for Karunanidhi’s burial.
The court rejected the government’s contention that only those who died while serving as chief ministers had been provided burial place on the Marina as per protocol manual, saying it cannot be a ground for denying the DMK’s request.
Noting that Dravidian leaders such as Annadurai had been buried on the sands of Marina, it said there was no need to take a different stand in the present case.
