Chennai: BJP’s Tamil Nadu unit President K. Annamalai on Friday told the Madras High Court that his party had not given any call for a bandh on October 31 in Coimbatore.
Advocate R.C. Paul Kanagaraj, appearing for Annamalai told a division bench of Justices Paresh Upadhyay and D. Bharatha Chakravarthy said that the party was yet to decide on the form of protest.
While responding to a public interest litigation petition filed against the statements made with respect to the bandh, the lawyer said that the issue was premature as the party was yet to take a decision.
The court observed that it would wait and watch the form of protests the party will be carrying out on October 31 and adjourned the hearing of the PIL to November 1.
It told Additional Advocate General J. Ravindran that it would be the duty of the state to maintain law and order.
Coimbatore-based businessman, Vengadesh had filed a PIL, telling the court that BJP leaders had called the bandh to condemn the state government for its alleged negligence in investigating the October 23 car blast in Coimbatore.
Noting that the state police had arrested six individuals in connection with the blast case and that the state had recommended the case to be investigated by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), the petitioner contended that even after all such measures were taken, BJP leaders were pressuring the traders and businesspeople to down their shutters on October 31 in solidarity with the bandh call.
–IANS