By
D.B.S.Jeyaraj
In a controversial move, a reward of One Crore or Ten Million rupees for the head of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa has been announced in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu!
This provocative act of announcing a monetary reward for anyone bringing the Sri Lankan president’s head has not been made by nondescript irresponsible elements in the state but by an acknowledged association of Lawyers.
An association representing lawyers practising in the South Tamil Nadu city of Madurai known as the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court Metropolitan Bar Association (MMBA) has proclaimed the reward for Mahinda Rajapaksa’s head in an action smacking of the “wild west” in the USA in an earlier time where “wanted dead or alive” bounty rewards were announced for law breakers.
Madurai is a historic city that was the capital of the Pandyan dynasty that ruled the Tamils in ancient days along with the Chola and Chera dynasties. It is also associated with Classical Tamil being the seat of the famous Tamil Sangam or Tamil academy which fostered the Tamil language and Literature.
Currently Madurai is the administrative capital of Madurai district in Tamil Nadu state with a population of around One and a half million. It is the third largest city and second largest Municipal corporation in Tamil Nadu.
Madurai also boasts of a long and proud legal tradition as the city is also the seat of a bench of the Madras High Court, being one of only a few that exist outside the state capitals of India. It started functioning in July 1847.
It is the association of legal practitioners with such a great legal tradition that has now resorted to the unprecedented and illegal act of announcing a monetary reward for the head of the head of a neighbouring, friendly state.
Details of the announcement were released to the media by the MMBA President W. Peter Rameshkumar after a meeting of the Lawyers association on Monday March 4th 2013.
Describing the sri Lankan president as a much wanted “war criminal” Rameshkumar said the MMBA was prepared to award Ten million rupees as reward for Mahinda Rajapaksa’s “Thalai”(head).
MBBA President Rameshkumar also announced details of resolutions passed by his association.Some of the resolutions were –
* Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa,his brother and Defence secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa and all Sri Lankan army Generals involved in the final phase of the war should be proclaimed aswar criminals internationally and penalised.
* An International Fact finding mission should be sent to Sri Lanka to Independently investigate the incidents of war crimes and human rights violations and submit a public report.
* India must obtain compensation through the offices of the International court of Justice for Tamils affected by the war
* Janatha Party leader Dr.Subramanian Swamy must be banned from entering Tamil Nadu due to his stance on Sri Lanka.
Although Dr. Swamy , a lawyer himself is a member of the MMBA the Madurai lawyers are furious at him for visiting Sri Lanka last week and meeting with President Rajapaksa and Gotabhaya Rajapaksa.Swamy is also hated by Pro-LTTE elements in Tamil Nadu for his anti-tiger stance.
Rameshkumar making rabble rousing comments stated that anyone who sees Dr. Swamy anywhere in Tamil Nadu should assault him immediately.
Interestingly Dr. Subramanian Swamy against whom the Madurai lawyers are ranting and railing hails from Cholavandhan a village in Madurai district and has also represented a Madurai city Constituency in the Indian Parliament.
The Madurai lawyers along with lawyers from the Union territory of Puthuchery(Pondycheri)boycotted courts on Monday urging punitive international action against Sri Lanka. The legal eagles also demonstrated outside courts and blocked transport on the roads.
DBS Jeyaraj can be reached at dbsjeyaraj@yahoo.com