NE LEGAL BUREAU
CHENNAI, MAY 12
The Madras High Court on Tuesday issued notice to Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu police on a petition which alleged over 400 migrant workers from the southern state were illegally detained in Sangli district in the western state in view of the coronavirus lockdown and seeking steps to set them free.
A bench comprising Justices N. Kirubakaran and R Hemalatha, hearing the petition through video conference, issued notice the Tamil Nadu Director General of Police and Superintendent of Police of the Sangli district.
In his habeas corpus petition (filed in cases of alleged illegal detention), petitioner A P Suryaprakasam, an advocate, citing a Tamil TV news channel report, said the workers from different parts of Tamil Nadu were detained in Kupwa village under inhospitable conditions.
Government authorities there were demanding Rs 3,500 each from them to permit them to return home, the report said quoting one of the workers, he submitted.
The petitioner sought a direction from the court to the police to produce all the workers.
