Madras HC quashes proceedings against 11 Law students for raising slogans against Sri Lankan Govt

Chennai: The Madras High Court has set aside the criminal proceedings pending against 11 Law college students pending before a Magistrate Court in George Town here. Justice N Sathish Kumar quashed the proceedings while allowing a criminal original petition from Aravinth and 10 others, recently.

The charge against the students was that they, along with their friends without obtaining permission, had gathered opposite to Ambedkar Government Law College and raised slogans against the Sri Lankan government, demanding their "Tamil Eelam issues" and blocked the road.

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Granting the relief, the judge noted the petitioners had not unlawfully assembled to commit any offence. Of course, they had democratically raised protest for the inaction on the part of the police for not taking action and such gathering cannot be said to be unlawful assembly.

At any event, mere gathering of more than five persons would not amount to any offence, unless the action of such persons fit into any of the provisions found in Section 141 to constitute such assembly as unlawful one. "In such a view of the matter, this court is of the view that continuation of prosecution is nothing but an abuse of process of law," the judge said and accordingly quashed the proceedings.