End of an era! DMK patriarch and Tamil Nadu's 'Kalaignar' M Karunanidhi laid to rest at Marina Beach

DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi was finally laid to rest at Marina Beach on Wednesday evening.

The burial ceremony was attended by leading political leaders of the country including Congress president Rahul Gandhi and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.

Earlier in the day, the suspense over the burial place of M Karunanidhi came to an end as the Madras High Court asked  the Tamil Nadu government to allow the DMK to conduct the last rites of Kalaignar next to Jayalalithaa and Anna at Marina Beach.

DMK president M Karunanidhi passed away on Tuesday after prolonged illness. The demises of 94-year-old DMK patriarch came at 6.10 pm. Following the demise, Karunanidhi's family members had requested Tamil Nadu CM to allow his burial at iconic Marina Beach but the request was rejected. 

The DMK had challenged the state govt's decision in Madras High Court and the acting justice heard the matter at his residence on Tuesday night. The hearing continued till 1:10 am (Wednesday) after which the acting chief justice postponed the proceedings till morning. When the hearing resumed on Wednesday, all five petitioner withdrew their case and stated that they had no objection to Karunanidhi's memorial at Marina beach. 

Also read | Karunanidhi dies at 94: In Pics - Kalaignar's final journey

(For updates till late last night click here: Kalaignar passes away at 94; suspense continues over his burial place, Madras HC to continue hearing on DMK plea from 8am today)

The funeral of the DMK patriarch Karunanidhi is scheduled to be held today. Before the final procession, the mortal remains of Kalaignar have been kept at the Rajaji Hall so that his supporters can pay their final respects. 

Also read | DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi passes away at 94; President, Prime Minister lead nation in condoling demise of former Tamil Nadu CM

As It Happened: 

07:05 pm: Tamil Nadu's 'Kalaignar' laid to rest at Marina Beach

07:00 pm: Crowd chants "Long Live Thalaiva!" as Karunanidhi is laid to rest at Marina Beach

6:30 pm: Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit, State Minister D Jayakumar and Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan pay tribute to Karunanidhi at Marina beach

6:27 pm: Congress president Rahul Gandhi, former Karnataka CM Veerappa Moily, TMC MP Derek O' Brien lay wreaths at Karunanidhi's casket.​

06:20 pm: Procession with Karunanidhi's mortal remains arrives at Marina Beach

06:15 pm: Congress president Rahul Gandhi, senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu, TMC MP Derek O Brien, many other leaders present at the cremation of Karunanidhi.

04:08 pm: Klaignar's final journey begins, his body being taken from Rajaji Hall to Marina Beach

04:04 pm: Former J&K CM Farooq Abdullah, NCP President Sharad Pawar and Congress leader Praful Patel pay tribute to DMK Chief Karunanidhi at RajajiHall

03:36 pm: Ramaswamy had moved SC against the Madras High Court order which allowed to perform the last rites of #Karunanidhi at the Marina beach.

03:35 pm: SC refuses to entertain the plea filed by Traffic Ramaswamy seeking stay on the last rites of Karunanidhi at MarinaBeach. 

03:19 pm: 33 injured in scuffle and stampede outside Rajaji Hall in Chennai​

02:50 pm: 

02:45 pm: The toll of the stampede outside Rajaji Hall has risen to 2. 

02:44 pm:

02:24 pm; Rahul Gandhi pays his last respects to Karunanidhi at Rajaji Hall, where his mortal remains lie in state. The final procession will begin at 4 pm, the offifcial statement said. However, the massive crowd of DMK supporters gathered outside may cause delay in the procession. 

02:21 pm: 

02:10 pm: At least one person was killed and 30 people were injured as the crowd broke barricades and rushed to catch the last glimpse of Karunanidhi in Rajaji Hall. The massive crowd which had been waiting since morning grew impatient when Chennai Police closed the entry to the hall after a scuffle between guards and DMK supporters. Karunanidhi's son MK Stalin has urged DMK cadre to maintain peace, "Those who are in power are trying to create chaos, but you have all shown the strength of the cadres. I appeal to everyone to maintain peace."

02:08 pm: 'A person who continued to work without rest, now takes rest' written on the coffin of Karunanidhi

01:58 pm: Final procession to begin at 4: The final journey of the late DMK President M.Karunanidhi will start at 4 pm from the Rajaji Hall where the body is lying in state for people to pay homage. In a statement, the party said the vehicle carrying Karunanidhi's body will reach Anna Square via Wallajah Road covering a distance of less than 3 km. The party has appealed to its cadres and general public to keep calm and maintain peace during the final journey.

01:55 pm: Those who are in power are trying to create chaos, but you have all shown the strength of the cadres. I appeal to everyone to maintain peace: MK Stalin. 

01:39 pm: People climb walls in an attempt to enter Rajaji Hall after Police blocked hall entrance due to huge crowds

Watch video: 

01:37 pm: Construction of burial at Chennai's Marina beach for Karunanidhi, underway. 

01:10 pm: A scuffle broke out between DMK supporters and police outside Rajaji hall as a sea of humans rushed to catch the last glimpse of Kalaignar.

01:06 am: A sea of humans has descended outside Rajaji hall, where Karunanidhi's mortal remains have been kept for a last respects. His cremation will held later today at Marina Beach. 

 

12:49 pm: Senior DMK leaders KN Nehru, Duraimurugan and I Periasamy inspect the construction work under progress at Anna Memorial on Marina Beach in Chennai.

12:40 pm: Film actor and superstar Amitabh Bachchan shares his memory of Karunanidhi at the beginning of his career. 

T 2893 -  பிரார்த்தனை மற்றும் இரங்கல் (Prayer and mourning) , for the Honourable and dynamic leader Shri Karunanidhi .. I received my very 1st National Award for 'Saat Hindustani' from him, when the ceremony was held in Chennai that year .. he was the CM .: Amitabh Bachchan tweeted.

12:32 pm: Mamata calls PM: I was unhappy yesterday, as the govt did not allow the Marina beach burial. I had called the CM but he was unavailable. I also personally called the PM in this regard: WB Mamata Banerjee 

11:55 am:​ Preparations for Karunanidhi's burial at Marina Beach begins. JCB machines have reached the spot following Madras High Court's judgment that M Karunanidhi will receive burial at the Marina beach. A massive crowd has also gathered at the spot despite heavy security. 

11:43 am: 

11:14 am: PM Modi pays his last respects to DMK chief M Karunanidhi at Chennai's Rajaji Hall. 

11:05 am: The DMK's plea for the burial of Kalaignar's body near Anna memorial has been accepted by the Madras High Court. The court further directed Tamil Nadu government to ensure & establish a memorial for Kalaignar's: V Kannadasan, DMK's lawyer

11:02 am: Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha pay tribute to M Karunanidhi with a one-minute silence. The sessions of both Houses will be dismissed for the day to pay homage to DMK chief. 

11:02 am: Tamil Nadu: MK Stalin breaks down after Madras High Court's verdict to allow the burial of former CM M Karunanidhi at Chennai's Marina Beach. The party supporters reacted with a wave of joy and cheer. 

10:50 am: The Madras High Court has allowed the last rites of DMK chief at Chennai's Marina Beach.

10:41 am: Prime Minister Narendra Modi reaches Chennai to pay homage to DMK chief Karunanidhi. The former Tamil Nadu CM's mortal remains have been kept at Rajaji Hall.

10:40 am: Sources within the DMK say that the leadership is contemplating over conducting last rites of Karunanidhi at party headquarters 

Anna Arivalayam.

10:35 am: Case against denial of burial land by Tamil Nadu Govt at Marina beach for M Karunanidhi: Arguments are now over. Acting Chief Justice begins dictating orders.

10:33 am: Case against denial of burial land by Tamil Nadu Govt at Marina beach for M Karunanidhi: The family members of M Karunanidhi have not approached High Court, Justice SS Sundar points out to DMK's lawyer.

10:08 am: Tamil Nadu: Actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan pays last respects to former CM M Karunanidhi at Chennai's Rajaji Hall. The actor had earlier tweeted in favour of allowing Karunanidhi's burial at the Marina Beach. When Anna (former Tamil Nadu CM Annadurai) was there to safeguard & promote general Kazhagam, there were two brothers- Kalaignar (M Karunanidhi) & MGR, and to see all three of them at one place would have been good, he tweeted today.

09:56 am: Rahul Gandhi, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Veerappa Moily to reach Chennai by 12:45pm.

09:45 am: Case against denial of burial land by Tamil Nadu Govt at Marina beach for M Karunanidhi: Tamil Nadu govt's lawyer says 'DMK is pursuing political agenda by filing this case. DK Chief Periyar was the tallest leader of Dravidian movement. Was he buried at Marina beach?'

09:31 am: Case against denial of burial land by Tamil Nadu Govt at Marina beach for M #Karunanidhi: DMK's lawyer says, 'There are 1 crore DMK followers in Tamil Nadu out of 7 crore population of the state. They'll be offended if burial land is not allotted for Karunanidhi at Marina beach.'

09:26 am: Case against denial of burial land by Tamil Nadu Govt at Marina beach for M Karunanidhi: DMK's lawyer says 'You (state govt) have announced state mourning, why not give land for burial? There's no prohibition under Central Govt protocol to allot land at Marina beach for ex-CMs.

09:20 am: Security has tightened at the Anna Memorial at Marina Beach. The public is not being allowed into the memorial and the police have cordoned off the entrance.

09:16 am: Case against denial of burial land by Tamil Nadu Govt at Marina beach for M Karunanidhi: DMK's lawyer says 'Anna, who is the founder of DMK, used to say my life & soul is Karunanidhi. Burying Karunanidhi next to Gandhi Mandapam cannot be termed as a decent burial.'

09:11 am: We demand that Bharat Ratna be conferred upon him. We also demand that his memorial be made near Anna Samadhi: VCK chief Thol Thirumavalavan

09:07 am: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will reportedly reach Rajaji Hall at 11 am. Last night, the PM had paid his condolences to Karunanidhi's family on Twitter. My thoughts are with the family and the countless supporters of Karunanidhi Ji in this hour of grief. India and particularly Tamil Nadu will miss him immensely. May his soul rest in peace, he tweeted. 

09:03 am: Case against denial of burial land by Tamil Nadu Govt at Marina beach for M Karunanidhi: Court records contents of counter affidavit filed by state government which tells the court, DMK can't challenge press release by Govt expressing inability to allot space at Marina beach for Karunanidhi.

09:00 am: Case against denial of burial land by TN Govt at Marina beach for M Karunanidhi: TN Govt states in its counter affidavit that DMK chief Karunanidhi himself didn't allot land for former CM Janaki Ramachandran after understanding the protocol manual when Karunanidhi was the CM.

08:59 am: Case against denial of burial land by Tamil Nadu Govt at Marina beach for M Karunanidhi: Madras High Court Acting Chief Justice records in his order, submissions made by DMK organising secretary RS Bharathi in his affidavit seeking burial land at Marina beach for Karunanidhi.

08:57 am: Case against denial of burial land by Tamil Nadu Govt at Marina beach for M Karunanidhi: The government lawyers, CS Vaidyanathan, AAGs PH Arvindh Pandian and SR Rajagopal, have argued that two acres of land for a memorial has been allocated in Guindy's Gandhi Mandapam in accordance with union government laws. Karunanidhi will be buried with full state honours. However, the law and precedence coes not allow for the burial of a former CM at the Marina beach. The court is currently considering the counter-affidavit filed by the Govt counsels. 

08:51 am: Security beefed up outside Rajaji Hall as more visitors arrive to pay last respects to Karunanidhi. Over 130 Rapid Action Force (RPF) personnel have been deployed on the spot, says a report. The Tamil Nadu government has also intensified security around the Madras HC where the hearing for the burial ground is currently underway. 

08:41 am: Based on the response filed by the lawyers representing Tamil Nadu government and taking in consideration "the truth of the situation", the court will deliver a speedy decision, the Madras High Court has said. Right now, the judges are studying if the responses filed by the government meet demands of the petition filed by the DMK lawyers last night.

08:38 am: Madras HC dismisses all 5 cases against memorial in Marina beach after petitioner withdrew cases; court considering state govt counter affidavit 

08:37 am: 

08:30 am: Case against denial of burial land by Tamil Nadu Govt at Marina beach for M Karunanidhi: The Tamil Nadu government has filed a counter-affidavit in the matter arguing that it is a government policy that former chief ministers are not given memorial at Marina beach and the court should not interfere in that. Five people had filed petition against giving space to Kalaignar's burial at Marina beach, four have withdrawn their petition since.

08:28 am: Former Kerala CM Oommen Chandy pays last respects to former Tamil Nadu CM M Karunanidhi at Chennai's Rajaji Hall. Earlier Tamil Nadu CM E Palaniswami and Governor Banwarilal Purohit had paid their last respects. Rajinikanth and his son-in-law Dhanush were among first to reach Rajaji Hall, after the mortal remains of DMK patriarch were shifted here so that the supporters can pay their respects before the funeral. 

08:21 am: Case against denial of burial land by Tamil Nadu Govt at Marina beach for M Karunanidhi: Lawyer of petitioner Ramaswamy says 'We have no objection to the burial land for Karunanidhi'. Acting Chief Justice says to the lawyer 'Withdraw your case'. Madras HC has directed Traffic Ramaswamy’s lawyer to file memorandum that he has no objection to bury Karunanidhi’s body at Marina beach. Lawyer submits the memorandum to the Acting Chief Justice

08:16 am: Case against denial of burial land by Tamil Nadu Govt at Marina beach for M Karunanidhi: Tamil Nadu Govt files its counter affidavit in the case. Hearing in the matter is underway at Madras High Court.

08:04 am: AR Rahman tweets, "You may have left this earth but your infectious passion and love for Tamizh will stay and reflect with us forever…Deep Respect !"

07:51 am: Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit pays last respects to former Tamil Nadu CM M Karunanidhi at Chennai's Rajaji Hall.

07:41 am: Chennai: Huge crowd gathers at Chennai's Rajaji Hall to pay last respects to former Tamil Nadu CM M Karunanidhi. Crowd raises slogans of 'Long live Kalaignar' and 'Need Marina! Need Marina!'. The Madras HC will continue to hear the case of Kalaignar's burial place as the Tamil Nadu government last night refused to allow it at Chennai's Marina beach.

07:22 am: Space for burial: Madras HC to resume hearing at 8 am -The Madras High Court will resume hearing a plea seeking burial space at Marina beach. The hearing was adjourned to 8 am this morning. The government, which has opposed the move, has allotted space at Gandhi Mandapam in Guindy. Earlier on Tuesday, Karunanidhi's children and DMK leaders MK Stalin, MK Alagiri and MK Kanimozhi had visited Chief Minister Edapaddi K Palaniswami and requested their father to be buried near Anna Samadhi, the memorial of C N Anna durai. The CM, however, refused to grant them permission.

07:07 am: This is a great loss for Tamil Nadu. My deep condolences to his family members & DMK party workers: Tamil Nadu CM E Palaniswami after paying last respects to former Tamil Nadu CM M Karunanidhi at Chennai's Rajaji Hall

07:02 am: Thousands have flocked to Rajaji Hall in Chennai to pay homage to one of the tallest Dravidian leader as Karunanidhi’s mortal remains lay in state. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress President Rahul Gandhi, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Telangana CM KCR and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal are expected to attend Kalaignar’s funeral today. 

06:30 am: 

06:20 am: Rajinikanth, Dhanush pay last respects to former Tamil Nadu CM M Karunanidhi at Chennai's Rajaji Hall. Mortal remains of DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi's have been wrapped in tricolor. Thousands have flocked to Rajaji  Hall to pay their last respects to Kalaignar. 

06:00 am: Chennai: Mortal remains of former Tamil Nadu CM M Karunanidhi being taken from Kanimozhi's residence in CIT Colony to Rajaji Hall. 

Also read | From humble beginnings to becoming a political stalwart- A peek into life, career and family of M Karunanidhi, 'Kalaignar' of Tamil Nadu

05:59 am: When Anna (former Tamil Nadu CM Annadurai) was there to safeguard & promote general Kazhagam, there were two brothers- Kalaignar (M Karunanidhi) & MGR, and to see all three of them at one place would have been good: Kamal Haasan, Makkal Needhi Maiam.

05:50 am: TTV Dhinakaran arrives at Chennai's Rajaji Hall where mortal remains of former Tamil Nadu CM M Karunanidhi are kept.

05:30 am: 

01:11 am: Government has to come up with proper reply as this is an important case judge observed, case will be heard again at 8 am

11:30 pm: The Bihar Government has announced two days mourning period on August 8 and 9 in the memory of DMK chief M Karunanidhi. \

Also read | Karunanidhi dies at 94: Ten things you should know about the 'Kalaignar'