The Director General of Police and Head of Police Force of Tamil Nadu has filed an affidavit before the Supreme Court admitting that it permitted only 4 out of 288 applications for Ayodhya Ram Temple 'Pran Pratishtha' related events on January 22, before the Madras High Court intervened. It has also said in the affidavit that the state government is not anti-Hindu as portrayed by the petitioner.

As per the affidavit has been filed in the plea seeking to lift the alleged ban on the live telecast of the occasion of "Pran Pratishtha". The Supreme Court had issued notice in the plea and had recorded the submission on behalf of Tamil Nadu that there is no ban on any event relating to Pran Pratishtha.

However, as per the affidavit now filed by the DGP, before the order passed by the High Court, out of the total number of 288 applications received, only 4 were permitted, while 146 were rejected and 138 were kept pending for verification. All of the 22 applications for live streaming of the event in public places were rejected, as per the DGP.

As per the affidavit, out of the 15 applications received for live streaming the events from Ayodhya in Temples and other indoor places in the State, 7 were rejected and 8 were kept pending for verification. Out of the 226 applications for Bhajans, Annadhanams and special poojas in public places, only 4 had been permitted while 94 had been rejected.

Singing Bhajans, chanting Rama Nama, and conducting Annadhanams are not inherently prohibited or restricted, the Madras High Court had held while granting permission for live streaming of the event to a Hindu organisation.

As per the affidavit filed before the Apex Court by the DGP, after the High Court's order, out of the 288 applications, only 4 were rejected while 248 of them were conducted.

As per the affidavit, the petitioner has falsely portrayed the Tamil Nadu government as anti-Hindu. "The petitioner has portrayed the Tamil Nadu Government as a Anti-Hindu Government which is totally false and condemnable", says the affidavit.

The affidavit also says that the petition has been used to defame the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and that some averments are derogatory against the Chief Minister.

The DGP has said in the affidavit that the Chief Minister had not issued any oral instruction not to permit any Pran Pratishtha-related events. "The Hon'ble Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu has not issued any such instructions to the police department. This allegation is made by the petitioner only to suit his convenience for filing this writ petition", says the counter affidavit filed by the Director General of Police and Head of Police Force of Tamil Nadu before the Apex Court.

Cause Title: Vinoj v. Union of India & Ors.

Madras High Court

Verdictum News Desk