CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Monday witnessed charged political debate and heated arguments between two senior advocates. Though the learned counsels came with relevant legal points and land acquisition rules, high-pitched political barbs overtook the jurisprudence for the day. Thanks to additional Advocate General (AAG) J Ravindran and PMK advocate K Balu who sparred legally over the NLC expansion plan in Neyveli, Cuddalore.
Hearing both sides, Justice SM Subramaniam intervened and observed that politicians will do politics. “We cannot stop them. It is their right; everything is politics,” the judge observed.
Advocate K Balu representing a farmer from Valayamadevi Melpathi Village, Cuddalore, who moved an urgent petition, argued before the court that the state and the NLC are damaging standing crops and it should be stopped.
Further, he contended that the NLC is not sticking to their promise that all the landowners who gave land will be employed in the NLC and he requested the court to direct the state to return the lands to the farmers.
An upset AAG J Ravindran contended that the previous acquisition of lands went peacefully. Now, violence has burst out after the party in which advocate Balu belongs, came into the frame, he argued. They are playing politics with this issue and said that Balu should not advise the government on how to maintain law and order, the AAG argued.