Imphal, April 10 2010: The Gauhati High Court has issued a ruling allowing performance of memorial service at Cheiraoching memorial complex in honour of the PLA cadres killed in a gun-fight with security forces on April 13, 1982 .

A single bench comprising of Justice Ashok Potshangbam issued the ruling on April 8 after hearing a petition filed by five families of the deceased rebel cadres.

The same ruling has been intimated to the State respondents, said petitioners' counsel Ch Ngongo while talking to media persons at the Manipur Press Club here.

After hearing the complaints of the petitioners about obstruction and disturbance caused by the State in the annual memorial service, the High Court directed the State to allow the petitioners, friends, relatives as well as well-wishers pay tributes to the departed souls at their memorial complex at Cheiraoching.

Meanwhile, families of the deceased PLA cadres said that they have been paying tributes to the departed souls since 1990 .

Saying that the Court has given permission to perform memorial service this time too, they appealed to Meira Paibis, local club volunteers, students and the general public to join in offering floral tribute at the memorial tomb of the departed souls.

They appealed to women vendors to wear mourning dress on the day (April 13) .

Decrying the restrictions made by police in the form of taking signatures of all those coming to offer their tributes and fixing certain hours for the memorial function etc, the families appealed to the police not to vandalise memorial tomb.

They went on to appealed to the police not to harass people who come to the attend the memorial service which would culminate with offering of light to the departed souls in the evening.

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