Madras High Court takes suo motu cognisance after man immolates himself inside court premises, succumbs to injuries

The Madras High Court Wednesday took suo motu cognisance of an incident in which a man immolated himself within court premises after his son was allegedly denied a community certificate by the local revenue authorities. .On Tuesday, 49-year-old Velmurugan, belonging to the Narikuravar community, had doused himself with fuel and lit a match setting himself ablaze behind the family court building that is housed within the High Court premises. He succumbed to his injuries at the hospital.Velmurugan was rushed to the Kilpauk government hospital by the advocates and security personnel present in the court but in vain.On Wednesday, several lawyers brought the incident to the notice of a bench presided over by Justice SM Subramaniam and informed him that Velmurugan had succumbed to the burns sustained in the incident. The lawyers informed the Court that Velmurugan, a resident of Padappai, Kancheepuram District, attempted to end his life inside the premises of the High Court at around 3 pm on Tuesday. Before setting himself ablaze, the victim had shouted that he had been deprived of a community certificate for his son by the revenue authorities concerned, despite of the fact that he had approached the authorities repeatedly.The Narikuravar Community is a 'notified indigenous group' in Tamil Nadu, the lawyers told the high court. They also said that the local Judicial Magistrate had been able to record Velmurugan's statement at the hospital before he succumbed to his burns. Justice Subramanian said that authorities must never make a citizen run from pillar to post for something he or she is entitled to. "Prima facie it is found that the son of the deceased Mr.Velmurugan was deprived of his Community Certificate though he belongs to Narikuravar Community. The Authorities are expected to respond to the applications submitted by the citizen for issuance of Community Certificates. Citizen cannot be made to run pillar to post for the purpose of getting Community Certificates. Even in the matter of issuing Community Certificates, several irregularities are brought to the notice of this Court," the Court said. .It further said that a community certificate is an important document and its denial had caused much frustration to the deceased."Thus, this Court has to examine whether the right of the deceased Mr.Velmurugan and his son to get Community Certificate was infringed or not. Further the reason for non-issuance of Community Certificate by the Revenue Authorities is also to be examined. The Members of the Bar made a submission that as per the statement of the deceased Mr.Velmurugan made several attempts before the Revenue Authorities for getting Community Certificate and all his efforts went in vain and consequently he committed suicide," the Court noted..The Court said that the incident could not be left "unnoticed" as it would result in "serious repercussions." It, therefore, proceeded to implead the Commissioner for Revenue Administration, Chepauk, Chennai, and the District Collector, Kancheepuram, as respondents in the suo motu writ proceedings and sought their response. The Court directed Madras high court Registrar General to number the writ petition and place it before the Acting Chief Justice T Raja for listing the matter..The Supreme Court of India has witnessed many such incidents in the recent past.In January this year, a Noida resident had set himself on fire outside the apex court.In August last year, two persons in their twenties had attempted to immolate each other outside the Court campus.They had poured petrol over themselves on the road and used a cigarette-lighter to set themselves on fire, before they tried to rush inside the Supreme Court campus through Gate D.Both had later succumbed to their injuries.[Read Order]