The Madras High Court closed the habeas corpus case regarding eight arrested Samsung workers on October 9, after the police informed the court that they had been released. Additional public prosecutor A Dhamodharan appearing for the police told the court that workers had been released the previous evening as the Sriperumbudur judicial magistrate had refused to approve custody for six of them. The petition was filed by Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) district secretary Muthukumar after eight workers were arrested on October 9 in a late night crackdown from their homes.
Two of these workers were remanded to judicial custody in Vellore prison by the magistrate on October 9 . On October 10, CITU again approached the magistrate, and secured bail for them. However, it is unclear at present if they have been released from Vellore prison.
In the petition, Muthukumar who is also the president of Samsung India Workers Union (SIWU) had alleged that eight workers, including SIWU general secretary P Ellan, had been illegally detained by the police. On the same day, police also forcibly evicted hundreds of still-striking Samsung workers from the protest site, claiming that the owner of the land had registered a complaint. The workers were taken away in police vehicles and were reportedly detained in various marriage halls.
The other seven workers who were also arrested along with Ellan have been identified as Rajaboopathy, Ashiq Ahamed, Balaji, Shanmugam, Mohanraj, Anandan and Sivanesan. Police had charged all under Sections 191(2) (rioting), 296(b) (obscene acts/songs in public spaces), 115(2) (causing hurt), 132 (assault or use of criminal force to deter public servant from performing duty), 121(1) (hurting public servant to deter discharge of duty), 351(2) (criminal intimidation) and 49 (abetment of a crime) of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) Act.
After hearing about their release, the court closed the case saying there was no longer any requirement for it. The court also stressed on its September 2 ruling that workers must be permitted to strike peacefully.
As questions are being asked of the ruling-DMK for trying to stifle the protest, even the party’s allies in the state—the CPI(M) and VCK—have strongly condemned the actions taken against the workers.