Madras High Court allows Karunanidhi burial on the Marina Beach

The Madras High Court on Wednesday allowed burial of DMK President M Karunanidhi on the Marina Beach. The five-time Chief Minister and President of DMK will be laid to rest behind Anna Samadhi.

DMK Working President M K Stalin and Kanimozhi broke down after being told that HC has allowed the burial on the beach.

The Madras High Court's Acting Chief Justice Huluvadi G. Ramesh along with Justice SS Sundar gave the order on a petition filed by DMK, which sought place at Marina to bury Karunanithi’s body.

Justice Ramesh wanted to hear the case at 10:30 AM on Wednesday. However, DMK lawyers told the Chief Justice that delay in hearing case would lead to greater violence across the state. Following which the Chief Justice asked them to file the case papers with Registrar (Judicial) and assemble in his residence at 11:45 PM.

At the hearing the state government had opposed the allotment of space at Marina Beach for burial of Karunanidhi's body.

On Tuesday, the DMK party and family members of Karunanidhi had requested the state government for allotment of space near DMK founder C.N. Annadurai's memorial at the Marina Beach.

Citing pending cases against the burial of bodies at the Marina Beach, the AIADMK government had said it was ready to allot two acres near Gandhi Mandapam on Sardar Patel Road where Raj Bhavan is located.

On Tuesday, the government decision drew flak from leaders cutting across party lines including Congress President Rahul Gandhi, MDMK's Vaiko, DMDK's Vijayakanth and PMK's S. Ramadoss, who favoured a memorial on the Marina Beach. Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad and the CPI(M) also joined the chorus.

Ramadoss urged the ruling party not to indulge in politics in this matter, saying the reason stated by the government is not acceptable.

Ramadoss said even when AIADMK leader J. Jayalalithaa was buried at the Marina Beach there were court cases pending. Her body was buried at the Marina Beach within the memorial of AIADMK founder M.G. Ramachandran.

He said Karunanidhi was the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for 19 years and his last rites should be done in a decent manner.

The mortal remains of AIADMK founder M.G. Ramachandran and his successor Jayalalithaa are buried near Annadurai's memorial on the Marina Beach.

A five-time Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Karunanidhi died after battling age-related ailments at Kauvery Hospital on Tuesday evening.

Meanwhile, life in Chennai came to a halt on Wednesday. The usually busy streets of T Nagar and Pondy Bazaar, the shopping hub of Chennai, were almost deserted, with all the shops shuttered and very few private vehicles passing by. The streets were full of posters paying tribute to the DMK Patriarch.

At Anna Arivalayam, the headquarters of DMK where Karunanidhi used to work from when he was active, stood silent in the middle of the city, with most of the workers going to Rajaji Hall, where his mortal remains were kept. Those who came to the city to pay homage to their beloved leader dropped in randomly to prey and take pictures with Karunanidhi's photograph in front of party leader Annadurai's statue at the Arivalayam. The building, at Mount Road, Chennai, was opened by Karunanidhi, on September 16, 1987.