Adani Vizhinjam Port Private Limited filed a contempt of court petition before the Kerala High Court on Wednesday contending that an interim order by a Single Bench directing police protection to the firm and its contractor to carry out construction works of the Vizhinjam International Seaport project was not complied with.
The court had in its interim order passed earlier this month observed that the right to agitate or protest against any issue, including the alleged neglect and apathy of the State government, would not confer a right on the agitators (who comprised mainly people from the fishermen community) to contend that they had the right to obstruct the activities which had due permissions, or to trespass into the project site and cause damage to property.
The court had further said the public protest could go on peacefully but without causing obstructions to the works and without trespassing into the project area. The company has in its contempt petition, contended that the police did not intervene, although the protesters obstructed port construction works.
The Single Bench had further ordered that in case the police were unable to maintain law and order at the site, steps should be taken to seek necessary assistance from the Central government.
The petitioners contended that hundreds of people led by the Latin Archdiocese, Thiruvananthapuram, had been staging protests in front of the project site, blocking its entrance, following which construction works had come to a standstill.
