AIADMK moves Supreme Court for contempt proceedings against Karunanidhi

The Jayalalitha led AIADMK today filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking Contempt of Court proceedings against the DMK leader and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi.

New Delhi, Oct 4 : The Jayalalitha led AIADMK today filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking Contempt of Court proceedings against the DMK leader and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi.

In a petition filed in the apex court, the AIADMK has demanded Contempt of Court proceedings against Union Shipping Minister TR Baalu, State Transport Minister KN Nehru, Chief Secretary LK Tripathi and Transport Secretary Debendranath Sarangi.

On Monday, Karunanidhi and leaders of his alliance partner went on a fast after Supreme Court termed the shutdown call given by the DMK in support of the Sethusamudram Project as illegal.

However, the State remained virtually shutdown with public offices and transport remaining closed. Shutters were downed in most cities and the Southern Railways was operating only skeletal services.

This lead to the Supreme Court warning the State Government of initiating Contempt of Court proceedings.

A bench headed by acting Chief Justice B N Aggarwal and Justice P Sathasivam on Monday had said: "If there is no compliance with our order, it is complete breakdown of Constitutional machinery. We will then have to direct the government to impose President's rule."

"Is this the government? Is this the Tamil Nadu government? Is it the DMK government, a strong ally of the UPA government? If this is the attitude of the DMK government, the UPA government should not feel shy of dismissing it and impose President's Rule," the court had observed.

The Sethusamudram Project will dredge a channel in a narrow strip of sea between India and Sri Lanka, reducing distances and cutting costs for freight traffic for ships moving from Arabian Sea to Bay of Bengal.

However, Hindu groups have been opposing the 560 million dollars project, saying it would destroy the 'holy' Ram Sethu, a 48-kilometre chain of limestone shoals that once linked Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu to Mannar in Sri Lanka.

According to the Central Government, research has shown that the Ram Setu was a series of sand shoals created by sedimentation, but according to Hindus the narrow link, also known as Adam's Bridge, was built by Lord Rama.

Dredging for the project began in 2005 and the channel -- 12 metres deep, 300 metres wide and almost 90 km long -- will provide a crucial link between the Palk Bay and the Gulf of Mannar.

ANI