Madras High Court bench here today suo motu impleaded the Kumbakonam Municipality Commissioner in a public interest litigation seeking a direction to the police not to allow public meetings on the western side of the Mahamaham Tank in the town until the coming Mahamaham celebration was over.
Justice V.Ramasubramanian and Justice N.Kirubakaran impleaded the commissioner after the Thanjavur District Superintendent of Police in his counter submitted that since July 2015, permission was not granted for political or religious meetings.
PIL petitioner R.Kannan, a VHP member, submitted that participants in such meetings polluted the water tank by throwing garbage and liquor bottles.
He said thousands of devotees were expected to take the holy dip in the tank during the Mahamaham festival falling in February next year since it had been a customary practice to do so before worshipping deities in nearby 12 temples.
The Judges also wanted to know from police as well as the district administration the details of arrangements made by them for Mahamaham festival.
The SP in his counter also said they were taking care of Mahamaham tank, 12 Lord Shiva temples and also 40 other temples in the town.
Police security had been provided to prevent any pollution and safeguard the purity of the tank, he added.
