The Madras High Court allowed a lawyer to protest for Tamil as the official language of the High Court, Madras, by going on an indefinite hunger strike finding it a legitimate expression of free speech.

This writ petition challenged an order regarding permission for indefinite fasting filed by the petitioner to protest for Tamil as the official language of the High Court, Madras.

The petitioner sought permission to conduct the fast at various locations, which underwent discussions and considerations in court hearings.

A bench of Justice N. Anand Venkatesh held, “The petitioner wants to express himself strongly demanding Tamil to be used as official language in the proceedings in the High Court. There is nothing illegal in this objective.”

Advocate R. Sankarasubbu appeared for the Petitioner and Advocate A. Gopinath appeared for the Respondent.

The Court imposed several conditions, including a commitment to non-violence, providing details of participating members, prior intimation for any associated meetings, restrictions on parking vehicles near the venue, and granting the Commissioner of Police authority to impose additional reasonable conditions.

The petitioner was warned against any illegal activities disrupting peace, with liberty given to the first respondent to take appropriate actions.

Eventually, permission was granted for the fasting to take place near Rajarathinam Stadium.

The writ petition was disposed of with no costs, and compliance reporting was scheduled for March 06, 2024.

Cause Title: G. Bhagavath Singh v. The Commissioner of Police

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Madras High CourtJustice N Anand Venkatesh

Suchita Shukla