Madras HC dismisses PIL to quash deal between novelist Perumal Murugan, district administration

MADURAI: The Madurai bench of the Madras high court on Monday dismissed a public interest litigation that sought the court’s intervention to declare an agreement between writer Perumal Murugan -- the writer of controversial novel “Madhorubhagan” -- and the Namakkal district administration as illegal. On January 12, the Namakkal district administration held "peace talks" with Muragan after the English translation of the novel (One Part Woman) kicked up a storm in the district. At the meeting, Murugan was asked to withdraw his novel and asked him to issue an unconditional apology. Murugan later wrote on his Facebook page: "Author Perumal Murugan has died." Murugan said he would withdraw all his books and writings. When the petition filed by Tamil Kalai Ilakkiya Perumandram’s secretary Ananda Kumar came up for admission, the division bench of Justices S Tamilvanan and V S Ravi said it was not a fit case to be heard as a PIL. The petitioner accepted the bench’s observation and expressed willingness to withdraw the same. Following it, the matter was dismissed as withdrawn.