Chennai: Madras high court has rejected a plea from an anti-Hindi agitator, to direct the state government to accord pension under the Tamil Nadu payment of pension to Tamil Scholars Miscellaneous Provision Act, for having participated in the agitations to preserve the Tamil language and imprisoned at least thrice.
While dismissing the petition filed by S. Chokalingam, Justice R. Suresh Kumar observed that in order to protect the avowed principle of unity in diversity, it is essential to protect and preserve all languages of this country as each one will have to be cherished for the rich and distinct culture it represents.
The petitioner had participated in anti-Hindi agitations in and around Thiruppur and Avinashi and had been imprisoned. The state government had brought a legislation called Tamil Nadu payment of Pension to Tamil Scholars Miscellaneous Provision Act, 1983. Thus, those who participated in anti-Hindi agitation, to safeguard the interest and richness of the Tamil language, were to be given pension, in order to recognize their service to the mother tongue.
Accordingly, in 1987 he had submitted an application along with jail certificates, seeking pension. But, there was no response. Ultimately, pursuant to a direction of the court, the authorities had on November 11, 2003, rejected his application, he added.
The judge said the state government’s move to bring the legislation to give pension to agitators for protecting the Tamil language was viewed seriously by the courts of law and the said move was negated and was not approved by the court of law in the judgments referred to in the very G.O itself.
The courts have already taken the view that the government pension or extending any benefit in the name of protecting the language, would amount to encouraging the agitation against the particular language and if this trend continues throughout the country, the unity and integrity of the country will be at stake and one day country will get disintegrated in the name of language, the judge added.
“Since the government has come forward to stop giving any benefit to those who participated in the agitation in the name of language by issuance of G.O and the said G.O is in force, no order can be passed by any authority including the government, contra to the said G.O which reflects the present policy of the state.
