New Delhi: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi landed in legal trouble on Monday after the Supreme Court slapped a contempt notice on him for defying the apex court's directive, asking him not to go ahead with the state bandh on October 1.
The bandh call had been given by the DMK to seek speedy completion of the Sethusamudram project.
The court also issued similar contempt notices to Union Minister TR Baalu, state Chief Secretary LK Tripathi, Tamil Nadu Transport Minister KN Nehru, and Director General of Police P Rajendran.
The SC bench, comprising Justice BN Agarwal and Justice PP Naolekar, however, exempted all VIPs from a personal appearance in the court.
The court passed the order on a contempt of court petition filed by the AIADMK on October 2 after Tamil Nadu observed a near-total bandh on October 1 in defiance of the SC ruling.
Hearing on the case, the court as asked why did not they (CM and others) act to prevent the October 1 bandh even after the court's order asking them to prevent any bandh on that day.
The defendants have four weeks to respond. However, they don’t have to be present personally during the hearings.
In its petition, the AIADMK claimed that it was blatant contempt of court. The two-member bench of Justice BN Aggarwal and Justice P Sathasivam, then, lashed out at the TN Government for observing the bandh.
“If there is no compliance with our order, it is complete breakdown of constitutional machinery. We will then have to direct the government to impose President's Rule. If this is attitude of the DMK government, the UPA government should not feel shy of dismissing it and imposing President’s Rule,” the Bench said.
It had also said that if the Tamil Nadu Government did not comply with its order, it would not hesitate to summon the CM and the Chief Secretary.
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