Police have right to protect themselves: Karunanidhi

Police have right to protect themselves: Karunanidhi

Chennai, March 18: Tamil Nadu government on Wednesday said the two police officers, ordered to be suspended by the Madras High Court in connection with the February 19 police-advocate clash, have the right to protect themselves if they felt aggrieved but said it would comply with the order.

• Chief Minister M Karunanidhi said in a statement here tonight that the government would implement the court order to suspend A K Viswanathan then Additional Commissioner of Police and M Ramasubramani Joint Commisioner at an 'appropriate time'. 

• "Unlike lawyers who had rejected the Sri Krishna Commission report, we will respect the judiciary," he said. 

• The Commission, appointed by the Supreme Court, had indicted both the police and the lawyers for the clash. 

• Karunanidhi said right from the beginning, he was for an amicable settlement of the issue.

• On February 19 when the violent incidents took place in the High Court premises between lawyers and the police, he had deputed Chief Secretary, Home Secretary and Public Secretary to talk to then acting Chief Justice S Mukhopadhyay and even offered to meet him at his house, despite him being in the hospital, Karunanidhi said. 

• Tamil Nadu government also agreed to the wishes of the acting Chief Justice to hand over the case to the CBI. 

• As per the instructions of the Supreme Court, the government had appointed senior IAS officer Sundaradevan to inquire into the incidents and the probe was on. But it was the lawyers who had not respected the Supreme Court order asking them to return to work, he said. 
  
  Bureau Report