After its ally DMK, the Congress
in Tamil Nadu also moved the Madras High Court challenging a state government directive restraining political parties and charitable organisations from direct distribution of COVID-19 relief materials during the lockdown period.
The public interest litigation (PIL) petition, filed by the party's Chennai East District unit chief, wanted the court to direct the state government not to impose any 'unreasonable' restriction in distribution of relief materials to poor and needy.
The petition is likely to be taken up for hearing by a special bench of Justice R Subbiah and Justice R Pongiappan on Wednesday when the DMK's plea is also scheduled to come up.
The DMK has alleged that those in power were unable to digest the "philanthropic activities" undertaken by the party in distributing assistance to the needy during the lockdown to check coronavirus and imposed the restrictions.
The Congress petition said from day one of the nationwide lockdown, various political parties and charitable organisations along with their volunteers were involved in distribution of relief materials to the poor and needy.
All such relief activities were carried in strict compliance of guidelines issued by the governments as well as the World Health Organisation (WHO), it said.
Initially, the state government did not oppose such activities, but latter due to "political vendetta", it restrained political parties from directly distributing assistance and wanted them to be routed through official agencies, petitioner Siva Rajashekaran alleged.
Therefore, they must not be restrained from doing such activities, he added.
The state government had on Monday clarified in a press release that it only insisted that volunteers and other service organisations should work together with the district administration and ensure food and other relief materials reached the needy with due precaution.
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