Principal District and Sessions Judge P. Madhusudhanan on Monday granted conditional bail to 19 farmers and one activist arrested for protesting against land acquisition for the expansion of the SIPCOT in Tiruvannamalai district.
They included six farmers whose detention under the Goondas Act was revoked on the orders of Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on November 17.
They were arrested by the Anakavoor police on November 4 for protesting against the proposed Phase-III project of the SIPCOT near Cheyyar in the district. The police produced all 20 persons, including social activist A. Arul (whose arrest under the Goondas Act has not revoked) before the judge early in the day.
Public prosecutor K.V. Manoharan argued against grant of bail, especially to the seven persons who had been booked under the Goondas Act, as the matter (the order of revocation) is pending at the State Secretariat.
Counsel for the farmers M. Anbazhagan said the protesting farmers were arrested more than three months after a case was filed against them. The arrested farmers resided in their villages and they would not abscond if they were enlarged on bail, he said.
The judge passed the order around 7 p.m. Under it, except Arul, who should appear before the judicial magistrate in Krishnagiri, 19 others should appear before the judicial magistrate in Vellore.
Protesting since July
The arrested farmers had been protesting at the Anakavoor Panchayat Union since July 2 against the proposed Phase-III of SIPCOT for which 3,174 acres of land had been identified in eight villages near Cheyyar. They were arrested on November 4 and booked under Sections 143, 147, 294 (B), 341, 353, and 506 (1) of the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, 1984. They were lodged at various prisons, including the Central Prison in Vellore.
On November 14, prominent members of the civil society, led by social activist Aruna Roy of Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan, appealed in a statement to Mr. Stalin for their immediate release. On November 16, Tiruvannamalai Collector B. Murugesh invoked the Goondas Act against seven of the 20 arrested persons based on the recommendations of Superintendent of Police K. Karthikeyan.
After severe criticism from various quarters, Mr. Stalin ordered revocation of the detention of six of the seven persons under the Goondas Act. However, the cases filed against all the arrested persons will go on.
