The AIADMK on Saturday moved the Supreme Court seeking a direction to restrain the DMK and its constituents from enforcing a bundh in Tamil Nadu on October one on the Sethusamudram project.

In a special leave petition (SLP) filed before the apex court through counsel Subramanima Prasad, the party’s chairperson E Madhusudhan submitted that the bundh call given by the ruling party and its allies was unconstitutional and violative of the apex court’s directions on the issue.

The petitioner submitted that the bundh was unwarranted as the matter relating to the Sethusamudram project was already pending before the apex court.

The ruling DMK and its allies in the Democractic Peoples Alliance (DPA) had given a call for State-wide bundh on Monday to put pressure on the Central Government to go ahead with the construction of the Sethusamudram project, which had been kept on the hold.

The AIADMK has filed the SLP, after the Madras High Court on Friday declined to intefere with the party’s plea for restraining the ruling combine from going ahead with the bundh call.
While declining to interfere with the bundh call, the High Court had, however, asked the State’s Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police to ensure that there were no untoward incidents or inconveniences to the general public.

Dissatisfied with the relief given by the High Court, the AIADMK has now moved the apex court.
The Centre had last week assured the Supreme Court that it would keep all issues relating to the Sethusamudram project under hold until a consensus was evolved on the controversial issue on the perceived damage posed to the mythical barrier “Ram Setu”.

The UPA Government has told the apex court that it has decided to keep on hold further construction of the project. The Centre also withdrew the controversial affidavit filed by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) disputing the historical validity of the Ram Setu and the existence of Lord Rama.

Damge control
The withdrawal of the affidavit was part of a damage control exercise by the Centre in the wake of the controversy sparked by the remarks on the emotive issue.

A bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balkrishnan, while allowing the Centre to withdraw the affidavit, said that the August 31 interim order putting on hold the construction in Rama Setu area will continue.
The government said it will examine the entire issue relating to the Sethusamudram project and sought three month’s time from the Court.

The Court posted the matter for hearing in the first week of January, 2008.