Chennai: A PIL was filed in the Madras High
Court on Wednesday seeking to forbear Tamil Nadu Government`s
association with Tamil Maiyam, an NGO under CBI scanner, from
conducting cultural festival "Chennai Sangamam".
The NGO, in which Chief Minister M Karunanidhi`s daughter
Kanimozhi, a DMK Rajya Sabha MP, is a director, has announced
that it would conduct the annual cultural festival between
January 12 and 17 January.
Claiming that any association of the state with an
organisation under CBI scanner would be contrary to public
interest, P Pugalenthi, an advocate, submitted that CBI raided
the premises of Tamil Maiyam on December 15 last year in
connection with 2G spectrum scam and its probe was still on.
Moreover, the CBI had not yet filed any report
exonerating Tamil Maiyam in any respect, the petitioner said.
He said within two weeks from the date of CBI raid the
Government decided to associate itself with the festival.
"When public funds are involved, the responsibility of
incurring any expenditure towards Chennai Sangamam cannot be
given to an organisation which is already under CBI scanner,"
he said.
The petitioner said the "government`s association with
Tamil Maiyam to conduct the festival would therefore be
arbitrary, unfair, unreasonable and violative of Article 14 of
the Constitution".
The case is likely to come before the court tomorrow.
PTI
