Can’t stop anti-port protests; no one should take the law into their own hands: Kerala High Court
The Kerala High Court on Friday said it could not stop the protests, but at the same time, no one should take the law into their own hands or threaten law and order while agitating against the Vizhinjam port.
Justice Anu Sivaraman made the remarks during the hearing of Adani Group’s plea for the construction of Vizhinjam port against the continued protest by fishermen against the project.
The court asked the protesters not to force them to take strict action against them and directed that their interim orders be strictly implemented.
The High Court’s direction and observation assume significance as local fishermen protesting the Vizhinjam International Port project near Thiruvananthapuram intensified their agitation by setting a fishing boat on fire and hurling police barricades into the sea on Thursday, as the fever reached its 100th. The day had entered.
During the hearing of the petition, the Adani group told the court that the protest was hampering the construction work and that there was a possibility that it could turn violent.
The court said that the road leading to the construction site has to be removed, and the protests should not threaten law and order.
Many people have been protesting outside the main gate of the multi-purpose port in nearby Mullur for a few months now.
They have been pressing for a seven-point charter of their demands, which includes halting construction work and a coastal impact study about the multi-crore project.
Protesters have been alleging that the unscientific construction of Groyans, artificial sea walls as part of the upcoming Vizhinjam port, was one of the reasons for the increasing coastal erosion.
The High Court on October 19 made it clear that the state government should implement its interim order to remove the barriers created by the protesters at the port’s entrance.
The direction came during the hearing on a contempt petition filed by the Adani Group.
