PIL filed against circular for poojas to invoke rain God

June 15, 2015 23:59

A PIL has been filed in the Madras High Court bench here seeking punitive action against a Tamil Nadu government irrigation official for allegedly ordering special poojas to propitiate rain God for copious inflows into Mettur Dam, the lifeline of Cauvery delta farmers.

Petitioner N Ilango, an advocate, submitted before a bench comprising Justices S.Manikumar and G.Chockalingam that Chief Engineer (Irrigation) S.Asokan had issued a circular directing the Water Resource Organisation Executive Engineers to perform Special poojas on June 1 to invoke the rain God.

The official not only issued the circular to perform special poojas but asked the officials to send a report about the performance of pooja by e-mail the next day.

The petitioner claimed that as per a 'confidential' circular issued by former Chief Secretary N Haribaskar (1994-96), all sorts of religious activities are restrained within the premises of government offices.

At this, the bench asked how he got the copy of the circular which was supposed to be strictly confidential.

When the petitioner said he read about the circular in the 'Rationalism Diary', the Judges asked him to file a report and posted the matter to June 30.

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