Watch live streaming of Karunanidhi's last journey

CHENNAI: The final journey of late DMK president M Karunanidhi has begun. His mortal remains have been taken from Rajaji Hall and will pass through Sivananda Road and Thanthai Periyar Road to reach Anna Square at Marina beach in Chennai. He will be laid to rest near his mentor CN Annadurai and friend MG Ramachandran's memorial.

Earlier in the day, the Madras High Court had ruled in favour of the DMK to allow Karunanidhi's burial near Anna Memorial at the Marina Beach. The matter had reached court after the AIADMK government in Tamil Nadu had denied land to the DMK patriarch. 

The DMK had claimed that the AIADMK's refusal to give ''six-feet land'' to bury the five-time chief minister "reeks of pettiness and political vendetta". The High Court observed that there was no legal impediment to providing a place there as sought by the party. 

Defending its decision, the state government said the previous DMK government headed by Karunanidhi had turned down a plea for burying late chief minister M G Ramachandran's wife Janaki on ground she was not a sitting chief minister. It also said former chief ministers such as C R Rajagopalachari, K Kamaraj and M Bhaktavatsalam had been laid to rest at the Gandhi Memorial campus, where the DMK was offered place for Karunanidhi's burial.

"There is no legal impediment for not allotting the place. The writ petition is allowed with the direction to the respondent authorities to provide a place for decent burial to lay the mortal remains of late Kalaignar M Karunanidhi, former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, on the Marina beach...," the bench said after hearing senior counsels.it said in the operative portion of the order.

M Karunanidhi, DMK patriarch and five-time former chief minister of Tamil Nadu, died at 94 on Tuesday after battling for life at Kauvery Hospital in Chennai. Admitted to the hospital on July 18, the Tamil Nadu strongman, popularly known as Kalaignar, breathed his last at 6.10 pm on August 7.