Madras High Court has approved an ‘indefinite fast’ by lawyer G Bhagavath Singh, supporting the call to make Tamil the official language in court proceedings. Justice N Anand Venkatesh ruled the demand legal, with conditions to avoid law and order issues.
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CHENNAI: On Tuesday, the Madras High Court recently affirmed the legitimacy of the demand to designate Tamil as the official language for all communication and pleadings within its premises. Justice N Anand Venkatesh, presiding over the case, not only acknowledged the validity of the demand but also granted permission for a lawyer to undertake an ‘indefinite fast’ to emphasize this objective.
The court’s decision was in response to a plea made by lawyer G Bhagavath Singh, who sought approval to express his strong advocacy for the use of Tamil in the proceedings of the High Court. Justice Venkatesh, in his ruling, stated-
“The petitioner wants to express himself strongly demanding Tamil to be used as the official language in the proceedings in the High Court. There is nothing illegal in this objective. Hence, permission can be granted subject to the following conditions.”
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Acknowledging Singh’s commitment to a peaceful demonstration, Justice Venkatesh directed the Chennai Police Commissioner to allow the lawyer to stage an indefinite fast at the Rajarathinam Stadium in Egmore. However, this permission was contingent upon the assurance that the protest would not lead to any law and order issues or instances of violence.
“The petitioner wants to express himself strongly demanding Tamil to be used as the official language in the proceedings in the High Court. There is nothing illegal in this objective. Hence, permission can be granted subject to the following conditions,”
-reiterated Justice Venkatesh.
Singh, during the proceedings, conveyed that approximately 25 people were expected to join the fast, and he assured the court that the participants would not engage in any activities that could disrupt law and order.
In a further directive, Justice Venkatesh instructed Singh to submit an affidavit pledging that he would
“not initiate violence while organizing meetings in connection with his indefinite fasting and he should co-operate with the police to ensure law and order.”
Advocate R Sankarasubbu, representing petitioner Bhagavath Singh, played a crucial role in presenting the case, advocating for the cause of making Tamil the official language in the High Court proceedings.
Government Advocate A Gopinath, representing the respondent Chennai Police Commissioner, also participated in the proceedings.
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This development follows a prior bench, led by Justice G Jayachandran, which had challenged Singh to establish his right to undertake such a fast. Justice Jayachandran emphasized that the court could “never endorse any life-threatening” agitation. He suggested that if lawyers were genuinely committed to making Tamil the official language of the court, they should explore more productive avenues to realize their aspirations.
