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The Madras High Court has quashed criminal proceedings pending before a trial court against a group of people who staged a protest in Theni in February 2024, demanding that Tamil be made an official language of the High Court.
Justice R Vijayakumar passed the order while allowing a petition filed by S Vinoth Raja, seeking to quash the criminal proceedings pending against him and others before the Theni Judicial Magistrate Court. According to the prosecution, the petitioner and others had unlawfully assembled in Theni district on February 11, 2024, and erected a flex banner demanding the introduction of Tamil as an official language of the High Court. They were also accused of threatening police personnel, obstructing them from discharging their duties, and threatening to set fire to vehicles if they were not permitted to stage the protest. Based on the complaint, the Theni police registered a case against them. Counsel for the petitioner submitted that the protest was democratic in nature and argued that a false complaint had been registered against the petitioner and others. The judge observed that, according to the charge sheet, the petitioner and others had assembled and protested against the non-introduction of Tamil as an official language of the High Court. With regard to the other allegations, the judge noted that all the listed witnesses were police personnel. In these circumstances, the judge held that continuing the criminal proceedings against the petitioner would amount to an abuse of the process of law. Observing that the other accused were also in a similar position, the court quashed the criminal proceedings against the petitioner and the co-accused. (ANI)
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