Don’t stop traffic beyond 10 mins for VVIPs: MHC

The Madras High Court has held that the police should not disrupt traffic for more than five to 10 minutes for the movement of Governor, Chief Minister, Chief Justice and other VVIPs in the city and that exceptions can be made only for the President and Prime Minister who visit Tamil Nadu occasionally. 

The first bench comprising Chief Justice Indira Banerjee and Justice Abdul Quddhose made the above observation while dismissing a plea seeking departmental action against Home Secretary and Commissioner of Police for allegedly stopping traffic for an hour and a half for free movement of CM Edappadi Palaniswami’s convoy, which was proceeding to campaign for AIADMK candidate during RK Nagar by-election. 

The petitioner S Doraisamy had contended that even if the Chief Minister was travelling for official purpose, the public cannot be wrongfully restrained and confined in the road for hours together. He further submitted that the Chief Minister being the head of the State may have hundreds of urgent works, but that does not mean others do not have any other work except to wait in the road to enable the Chief Minister to cross a point. 

“If he cannot afford to waste time in travelling, let him travel by air. But he has not right to obstruct others,” the plea claimed and sought departmental action against the Home Secretary and Commissioner of Police for dereliction of duty and for wrongfully restraining the public since the police have no authority to curtail the free movement of people to enable a Chief Minister to carry his political party candidate to address a meeting.