The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Friday quashed FIRs registered by the Madurai police against advocates T. Lajapathi Roy and Henri Tiphagne.
In separate incidents, the advocates had staged demonstrations against the amendments made to the Citizenship Act.
Hearing the petition filed by Mr. Roy seeking to quash the FIR, Justice G.R. Swaminathan observed that FIRs had been registered against as many as 26 persons in the wake of an anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protest near Goripalayam Pallivasal, on February 8.
The court observed that it was true that the meeting was convened without prior permission from authorities concerned. But it was not the case of the police that an untoward incident had occurred. Even according to the prosecution, only some intemperate slogans were raised. Taking into account that no act of violence was committed, the judge allowed the petition and quashed the FIR registered against the advocate.
Further, the judge said the benefit of the order would enure in favour of the other accused in the case as well, who had not filed petitions seeking to quash FIRs.
Similarly, Justice J. Nisha Banu quashed two FIRs registered against advocate and human rights activist Henri Tiphagne. The judge took cognisance that no untoward incident had taken place and observed that there were protests across the country against amendments to the Act.
Since the protest was peaceful and even the FIR did not disclose any act of violence or any untoward incident, the judge said the continued prosecution was not warranted. Quashing the same would secure the ends of justice, the judge said, adding that the benefit of the order would enure to the other accused as well.
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