The Madras High Court has issued notice in a Habeas Corpus Petition filed to trace Environmental Activist, Mugilan @ Shanmugam..Mugilan is known for having compiled substantial research on the violence that followed anti-Sterlite protests against the expansion of Vedanta’s copper plant at Thoothukudi last year. The mounting protests eventually culminated in the police opening fire on unarmed civilians, leading to at least thirteen fatalities in May 2018..Mugilan, who is also the coordinator of the Tamil Nadu Environment Protection Movement, is reported to have been missing since February 15. On the same day, he had addressed a press conference during which he released information not previously released in the public domain, including claims that several senior level police officers had orchestrated the Thoothukudi violence..Notably, he also named several police officers who were allegedly physically present during the Thoothukudi violence, as gauged from CCTV footage accessed from the Collectorate..On the night of February 15, he is said to have left for Madurai from the Egmore railway station at around 10.30 pm. Prior to his journey, he is also said to have expressed apprehensions that he would be picked up by the police for having spoken against senior officers at the press meet..As per the petition filed by advocate Henri Tiphagne, Mugilan’s mobile phone was active last at about 1.45 am on February 16. After this, the phone lost connectivity. Since then, it has been submitted, Mugilan has been missing. He had been expected to reach Madurai at around 10.30 in the morning of February 16..In this backdrop, apprehending that he has been picked up for his press meet revelations and that he is likely to be in danger, online representations were made to the police to trace Mugilan. However, after the police refused to respond to the complaints made on Sunday, February 17, the petitioner approached the Madras High Court for urgent intervention..After it was mentioned on Monday morning, the High Court agreed to take up the petition in the afternoon of the same day. The Bench of Justices M Sathyanarayanan and B Nirmal Kumar has issued notice in the matter returnable by next Friday..Image taken from here.
The Madras High Court has issued notice in a Habeas Corpus Petition filed to trace Environmental Activist, Mugilan @ Shanmugam..Mugilan is known for having compiled substantial research on the violence that followed anti-Sterlite protests against the expansion of Vedanta’s copper plant at Thoothukudi last year. The mounting protests eventually culminated in the police opening fire on unarmed civilians, leading to at least thirteen fatalities in May 2018..Mugilan, who is also the coordinator of the Tamil Nadu Environment Protection Movement, is reported to have been missing since February 15. On the same day, he had addressed a press conference during which he released information not previously released in the public domain, including claims that several senior level police officers had orchestrated the Thoothukudi violence..Notably, he also named several police officers who were allegedly physically present during the Thoothukudi violence, as gauged from CCTV footage accessed from the Collectorate..On the night of February 15, he is said to have left for Madurai from the Egmore railway station at around 10.30 pm. Prior to his journey, he is also said to have expressed apprehensions that he would be picked up by the police for having spoken against senior officers at the press meet..As per the petition filed by advocate Henri Tiphagne, Mugilan’s mobile phone was active last at about 1.45 am on February 16. After this, the phone lost connectivity. Since then, it has been submitted, Mugilan has been missing. He had been expected to reach Madurai at around 10.30 in the morning of February 16..In this backdrop, apprehending that he has been picked up for his press meet revelations and that he is likely to be in danger, online representations were made to the police to trace Mugilan. However, after the police refused to respond to the complaints made on Sunday, February 17, the petitioner approached the Madras High Court for urgent intervention..After it was mentioned on Monday morning, the High Court agreed to take up the petition in the afternoon of the same day. The Bench of Justices M Sathyanarayanan and B Nirmal Kumar has issued notice in the matter returnable by next Friday..Image taken from here.
