Over 12,000 Tamil Nadu private schools to shut down in Jayalalithaa's support

In a brazen defiance of rule of law over 12,000 private schools in Tamil Nadu will shut their gates tomorrow in support of their convicted former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa.  

A specia.l court in Bangalore had convicted and sentenced Jayalalithaa and three others to four years simple imprisonment in a disproportionate assets case

It may be recalled that a special court in Bangalore had convicted and sentenced Jayalalithaa and three others to four years simple imprisonment in a disproportionate assets case. The special judge Michael John D Cunha had ruled on September 27 that all the four had failed to substantiate their sources of income for Rs.53.02 crores of wealth which they all accumulated when Jayalalithaa was Chief Minister during her first tenure from 1991 to 1996.  

Immediately all the four were lodged in the Parapanahara Agraharam Central Prison, Bangalore.  Their bail petitions are coming up for hearing before a single judge of the Karnataka High Court on October 7.

Ever since the judgement was delivered the AIADMK cadres are undertaking protests demanding immediate release of their leader.  For the first two days shops were shut and vehicle traffic was affected at several places in the state.  

Throughout the state the AIADMK cadres were sitting in fast at several places.  Human chains were conducted on September 4. For the past one week sporadic protests were witnessed at several places with suddenly buses being stopped, shops forced to shut their doors, etc.

On September 5, Association of Private Schools decided to shut their shops on September 7, demanding the immediate release of Amma.  This decision has invited the wrath of several sensibly thinking people,including those from the academic community.

"The Federation of Associations of Private Schools has threatened to close schools earlier too.  The government should not allow any individual group to take the law into their hands. More over this will set a bad precedent" says Prince Gajedra Babu, General Secretary, State Platform for Common School System.

Several lawyers have also condemned the protests unleashed across the state by the AIADMK and of late by others joining it.  

"The decision of the schools to join the protests is highly condemnable.  They are protesting against what? A judicial verdict which was pronounced after the due to process of law was set in motion and the case was heard for nearly 18 years?  The courts whether the Madras High Court or the Karnataka High Court can take suo moto cognizance of these protests and issue proper orders and thus initiate contempt proceedings.  Bringing children in to this will pollute their minds in favour of a corrupt politician, who is convicted as per law.  Jayalalithaa may prove her innocence in the higher judicial forums and come out clean.  But today she is a convicted criminal in a corruption case and this is the legal position and no one can deny this.  So in this situation bringing in young children in to this issue will not only vitiate the atmosphere but also set a bad precedent"  says P. Sundararajan, a leading advocate in the Madras High Court.

Today Tamil Nadu is witnessing plethora of posters condemning Judge Michael Cunha.  One poster at Thanjavur depicts him as a pig.  Hundreds of posters outside Chennai criticise Judge Michael Cunha in filthy language.  So far there was no action either by the police or by the courts.

"It's a nasty development. The AIADMK cadres with the tacit approval of their leadership is indulging in this and they had already thrown every bit of decency in to the winds.  The response of the civil society is mute and the police are just watching this as mute spectators, it's nauseating" says Ezhil Kovendan, journalist and writer.  

Meanwhile over 500 private engineering colleges affiliated to the Anna University have also decided to join the September 7 protests.

A section of lawyers strongly feel that this sort of protests will severely jeopardise Jayalalithaa's bail chances both in the Karnataka High Court and also in the Supreme Court.  

"This will bound to affect Jayalalithaa's bail chances.  Look at the way these AIADMK cadres are conducting themselves. They are organising street protests and instigating every one to hit the roads. All sorts of cock and bull stories are spread about Judge Michael Cunha.  I don't know whether they know the consequences or not.  But the fact of the matter is this protests and hooliganism will indeed affect the bail chances of Jayalalithaa"  says advocate Sundararajan.