PIL against Karunanidhi's remarks on judges, judiciary

Chennai, Feb 5 (UNI) A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was today filed in Madras High Court seeking a direction to the HC Registrar General to initiate contempt proceedings against Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, Electricity Minister Arcot N Veerasamy and DMK General Secretary K Anbazhagan for a speech allegedly attacking judges and the judiciary, over certain cases sub judice in the court.

The PIL filed by advocate R K Venkatesh was yet to be numbered.

In his PIL, Mr Venkatesh said newspaper reports revealed the ire of the Chief Minister, Minister and Mr Anbazhagan over verdicts in some cases and some pending cases. Parties to any proceedings could not make a remark or comment on it as the court was seized of the matter. However to threaten the judiciary and judges, they had made deliberate, scandalizing, verbal attacks, virtually throwing an open challenge to the rule of law and authority of courts, it said.

The comments gave a false picture to the public that a government could not be questioned or found fault with whatever it did. The speech undermined the judiciary and looked as if the government was above the law. If this was not properly dealt with the public would ignore rule of law and acts of government authorities would become unquestionable. The legal profession as a whole would be meaningless and enforcement of law would come to a standstill, he added.

UNI