Tamil Nadu - Madurai   

Peaceful protest acceptable: Bench

Staff Reporter

"Court cannot restrain such demonstration"

MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of Madras High Court has refused to restrain a few workers of a private export oriented unit at Shenbagaramanputhur in Kanyakumari district from demonstrating inside the factory premises.

Dismissing a writ appeal filed by the company, a Division Bench comprising Justice D. Murugesan and Justice P. Murgesen said that such a direction could not be given since it would amount to curtailing the right of the workers to express their views through democratic means.

"A peaceful form of protest and demonstration to vindicate the grievance is a well accepted and recognised method by the courts. Merely because the appellant management has claimed that the workers have been already retrenched, they cannot be prevented from expressing their anguish and protest as against the action taken by the management," the Judges said.

However, such expression of protest and demonstration shall be peaceful without resulting in violence, the Judges said and added that it was always open to the management to lodge a complaint before the appropriate authorities in case of any violent incidents.

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