The Madras High Court on 18 September 2025 emphasised the need for Tamil Nadu authorities to frame clear guidelines for collecting monetary deposits from political parties intending to hold public meetings and other events, so they can be penalised in case of damage to public property. Justice N. Sathish Kumar directed Additional Public Prosecutor E. Raj Thilak to submit a report by 24 September 2025 on the proposed guidelines, which should apply to all political parties and other organisations intending to conduct public events, “without any discrimination.”
The interim direction followed the submission of photographs by the APP showing damage to public property during a large gathering for the campaign of actor-turned-politician Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) in Tiruchi on 13 September 2025.
The photographs were presented during the hearing of a writ petition (criminal) filed by the TVK, which accused police of imposing “practically impossible and onerous conditions” whenever it sought permission for campaigns by its leader. Senior counsel V. Raghavachari told the court that the Tiruchi police had imposed as many as 23 conditions for the 13 September 2025 campaign, including barring pregnant women, elderly people, and persons with disabilities from attending the event. “How can we tell them not to come?” he asked.
The petition highlighted that the TVK is a registered political party with a core ideology of “secular social justice,” encompassing secularism, social equality, inclusive representation, linguistic harmony, democratic values, and the two-language policy. TVK’s deputy general secretary C.T.R. Nirmal Kumar filed a detailed affidavit, noting that the party’s rapid growth had drawn lakhs of supporters, particularly women, youth, and students, and had turned it into “a strong democratic force” in Tamil Nadu.
The affidavit further alleged that the rise of the TVK provoked resistance from a dominant political family, which “has continuously sought to obstruct our democratic activities,” resulting in party cadres facing difficulties in obtaining statutory permissions from police authorities despite full compliance with legal requirements.
The petition stated that general secretary ‘Bussy’ Anand (N. Anand) had submitted a representation to the Tiruchi Commissioner of Police on September 6 requesting permission to conduct a peaceful campaign at police-notified venues on 13 September 2025. Permission was only granted on 10 September 2025, with “arbitrary, onerous, and unreasonable” conditions, the petition claimed.
Despite these restrictions, Vijay’s campaign in Tiruchi was held peacefully and in strict adherence to the imposed conditions. The petition argued that police continued to apply “discriminatory and onerous” restrictions on the TVK while being more lenient with other parties. “The leaders of the ruling party as well as the other Opposition parties are conducting regular road shows, rallies, and public meetings at places of their choice without being subjected to such unreasonable conditions. In stark contrast, whenever the petitioner party applies for permission to conduct meetings in designated areas notified by the police, onerous and impractical conditions are consistently imposed,” it stated.
The petition also submitted a copy of permissions granted to another political party with more liberal conditions, highlighting the apparent bias. It requested a direction to the Director-General of Police to instruct subordinates to grant permissions for TVK campaigns between September 20 and December 20 in a “fair, uniform, and non-discriminatory manner.”
The High Court observed the need for the police to formulate uniform rules while granting permissions for public meetings. Justice N. Sathish Kumar suggested that parties could be required to deposit a fixed sum as compensation for potential damage to public property.
The court also emphasised the personal responsibility of Mr. Vijay in maintaining lawful conduct at his party events. “You, as the leader, should control the crowd,” Justice Sathish Kumar said, adding that Vijay could set an example by discouraging pregnant women and differently-abled individuals from attending large gatherings for their own safety.
Additional Public Prosecutor Raj Thilak informed the court that permission had not been denied but certain conditions were imposed to ensure law and order and presented photographs showing damage during the recent Trichy meeting. Senior Advocate V. Raghavachari argued that the conditions were impossible to comply with and were not imposed on other parties. “They have imposed conditions on the number of vehicles that should come, have said that pregnant women and differently abled people should not come. How can we tell them not to come?” he reiterated.
The court questioned whether compensation had been collected for the damage to public property, warning that it would intervene if necessary. The matter was adjourned to 24 September 2025 for further hearing.
Vijay’s campaign, which started in Trichy on 13 September 2025, will continue until 20 December 2025, covering districts across the state. Upcoming dates include Coimbatore, The Nilgiris, Tiruppur, and Erode on October 4-5, followed by Kanyakumari, Tirunelveli, and Thoothukudi on 11 October 2025, and Kancheepuram, Vellore, and Ranipet on 18 October 2025.
(With inputs from Live Law)
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