Upset Thevar panel members withdraw petition

MADURAI: Agitated over a court directive, the members of the Thevar Jayanthi Committee on Friday withdrew their petition seeking to allow them to conduct a padayatra through the traditional route from Thiruchuli Town via Muthuramalingapuram to Pasumpon Thevar samadhi on the Thevar Jayanthi day to be celebrated on October 30.

The petitioners argued that their regular route was short and used by the villagers for more than 50 years to perform padayatra during the celebrations. However, due to a clash between the dalit and non-dalits in 2008, the police closed the stretch and directed them to use another route to the memorial site. Since the route was longer compared to the traditional route, the villagers faced several problems.

However, One M Dhanushkodi of Muthuramalingapuram filed an impleading petition opposing the padayatra through the traditional route, saying that many houses in his village were ransacked by those who participated in it the padayatra in 2008. With an interim order issued in August, the Madurai bench directed the district collectors of Virudhunagar and Ramanathapuram to mediate between the two groups and also to find a solution to the issue. However, the collectors suggested that "the issue could be decided only after sometime before the festival taking into consideration of the prevailing situation."

When the matter came up for hearing before the bench comprising Justice K N Basha and Justice M Venugopal, the counsels of both sides were seen adamant. The bench advised the additional advocate general to mediate between them and report to the court. After an hour later, the AAG informed the court that both the parties were still adamant.

The judges then summoned Dhanushkodi, who in fact pleaded with the court not to grant permission to conduct the padayatra through the old route. When the judges said as part of an interim measure, it would order the police to permit hitherto the used route to undertake since 2008. Agitated over this, the petitioner's counsel withdrew the petition in a huff.