TNN Mar 24, 2013, 04.57AM IST
MADURAI:
The Madurai bench of the Madras high court dismissed the public interest
litigation (PIL) seeking closure of the high commission of India in Sri Lanka.
The
petitioner M Solaikannan, the Madurai district president of Hindu People Party,
had filed a PIL seeking directions to the respondents, namely, the Union
cabinet secretary, the national security advisor to the Prime Minister and the
foreign secretary, to consider his representation dated January 21 and pass
orders.
The
petition was heard by the division bench of justices A Selvam and M
Sathyanarayanan.
Pointing
out the reason for dismissal, the court said that the petitioner's prayer may
be granted if he establishes that he is having a specific legal right. and the
respondents are also under the statutory obligation to carry out their duties
and in the event of their failure to do so, to consider and pass orders on the
representation seeking closure of Indian high commission.
The
petitioner's counsel W Peter Ramesh Kumar had had made a
passionate plea citing alleged human rights violations by Sri Lanka against Tamilians in
the island country. The counsel had further contended that there was a
large-scale demolition of Hindu temples and the people of Tamil origin are
displaced and in that place Sinhalas are settled. Though, the Government of India
is aware of these, it has not taken any step to address or mitigate the
sufferings undergone by the Sri Lankan Tamils.
The
counsel had also submitted that since the high commission of India in Colombo
is not taking any action to mitigate the sufferings of the minority Tamils in
Sri Lanka, there is no point in having it there and it has to be closed down.
