The people of Thoothukudi in 2018 protested against the Sterlite Copper factory functioning there pointing out that the toxic waste from it was affecting the health of people living in the radius of five kilometers from the site. On May 23rd the 100th day of peaceful protests violence broke out and police opened fire killing thirteen people. Ever since that the factory owned by the Vedanta Group has been shutdown and the owners had approached the court to reopen.

The case came up for hearing today and the Madras High Court bench comprising of Justices TS Sivagnanam and V Bhavani Subbaroyan dismissed all pleas by Vedanta and upheld the Tamil Nadu governments decision to shutdown the sterlite copper factory.

The people of Thoothukudi and most on Tamil Nadu have received the news as a victory against the corporates who do not respect the sentiments of the people and their lives and target only profits.

Makkal Needhi Maiam President Kamal Haasan welcomed the court's decision writing in Tamil "The Court's decision to ban the sterlite factory is justice for the lives that were lost protesting it. I am the brother of the people whose pain and loss I have felt in close quarters. This is further proof that the voice of the people will always win."

ஸ்டெர்லைட் தடை தொடரும் என்கின்ற நீதிமன்றத் தீர்ப்பு பல உயிர்களின் தியாகத்தில் கிடைத்துள்ள நீதி.

இத்தீர்ப்பின் அவசியத்தை, அவர்களின் வலியை, அருகில் இருந்து உணர்ந்த சகோதரன் நான்.

மக்களின் குரல் என்றும் வெல்லும் என்பதற்கு இது மற்றுமொரு சான்று.

— Kamal Haasan (@ikamalhaasan) August 18, 2020