Workers being removed from the pavement near Ripon Buildings during their protest on the night of August 13. File
| Photo Credit: R. Ragu
Additional Advocate General (AAG) J. Ravindran on Thursday (September 11, 2025) claimed “anti-social elements” had infiltrated the recent protest by conservancy workers outside the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) headquarters at Ripon Buildings. He said there were intelligence reports to substantiate his claim.He made the submission before the first Division Bench of Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Justice G. Arul Murugan during the hearing of a writ petition filed by 12 women conservancy workers seeking an inquiry into alleged police excesses while quelling their protest in the intervening night between August 13 and 14.The AAG said the protest was held on an unauthorised public space outside the corporation building from August 1 to 13, and that certain “fringe elements” were misguiding the conservancy workers. He added there was video evidence to prove the atrocities committed against the police personnel.He said stones were pelted on buses that the police personnel had mobilised to transport the protesters to 15 different wedding halls in the city, and that a policewoman was also manhandled. The AAG sought a month’s time to file a detailed response to the present petition seeking an inquiry into alleged police excesses.Further, when it was brought to the notice of the first Bench that another bench had ordered the constitution of a one-man commisison to probe the matter, in a habeas corpus petition (HCP), but that order was susbsequently kept in abeyance, the Chief Justice directed the Registry to club that HCP with the present writ petition and list both of them for hearing on October 10.Earlier, senior cousel T. Mohan, representing the 12 women conservancy workers, said the employees were protesting peacefully against the outsourcing of conservancy work in two zones of the corporation. He said the protests were necessitated because of the indifference of the party in power.Stating the police personnel had indulged in serious human rights violations besides subjecting the women conservancy workers to sexual harassment, he insisted on ordering an inquiry by the State Human Rights Commission as well as the Tamil Nadu Commission for Women.He also sought a direction to the Home Secretary to initiate disciplinary as well as penal action against the erring police personnel, besides ordering monetary compensation to the women. Published - September 11, 2025 06:40 pm IST
