The Madras High Court has dismissed a public interest litigation petition seeking a direction to the State government as well as Tiruvallur Collector to consider a plea to declare April 10 as a local holiday in Tiruvallur district every year to celebrate the birth anniversary of Dalit leader Poovai Moorthiyar.
A Division Bench of Justices S. Manikumar and Subramonium Prasad dismissed the case on the ground that courts could not issue a direction as prayed for by Dr. Ambedkar Renaissance Association and that it was up to the government to decide which day should be declared as a local holiday.
Moorthiyar’s life
In an affidavit filed in support of the PIL petition, the legal advisor of the association M. John Paul said, Moorthiyar was born in a poor Dalit family in Tiruvallur district in 1953.
He was a doctorate in economics and also possessed a law degree. He entered public life for serving the people and founded Puratchi Bharatham Party. Claiming that he had taken great efforts to retrieve Panchami lands from illegal occupation, the petitioner said that it was due to Moorthiyar’s efforts that the minimum height requirement for joining the uniformed services was reduced from 168 cm to 165 cm for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes candidates.
Listing out other deeds, the petitioner association insisted that his birth anniversary be declared a local holiday and sale of liquor be banned as a mark of respect.