The Madurai bench of the Madras high court dismissed the public interest litigation (PIL) seeking closure of the high commission of India in Sri Lanka.

The petitioner M Solaikannan, the Madurai district president of Hindu People Party, had filed a PIL seeking directions to the respondents, namely, the Union cabinet secretary, the national security advisor to the Indian Prime Minister and the foreign secretary, to consider his representation dated January 21 and pass orders.

The petition was heard by the division bench of justices A Selvam and M Sathyanarayanan.

Pointing out the reason for dismissal, the court said that the petitioner’s prayer may be granted if he establishes that he is having a specific legal right. And the respondents are also under the statutory obligation to carry out their duties and in the event of their failure to do so, to consider and pass orders on the representation seeking closure of Indian high commission.

The petitioner’s counsel W Peter Ramesh Kumar had had made a passionate plea citing alleged human rights violations by Sri Lanka against Tamilians in the island country. The counsel had further contended that there was a large-scale demolition of Hindu temples and the people of Tamil origin are displaced and in that place Sinhalese are settled. Though, the Government of India is aware of these, it has not taken any step to address or mitigate the sufferings undergone by the Sri Lankan Tamils, the counsel said.

The counsel had also submitted that since the high commission of India in Colombo is not taking any action to mitigate the sufferings of the minority Tamils in Sri Lanka, there is no point in having it there and it has to be closed down.  - ToI