Plea against Anbazhagan’s statue on DPI campus dismissed

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Monday dismissed a public interest litigation filed to restrain the state government from erecting the statue of DMK stalwart and former state minister K Anbazhagan on the campus of the Directorate of Public Instruction (DPI) in Nungambakkam, Chennai.

The first bench of Acting Chief Justice T Raja and Justice D Bharatha Chakravarthy passed the orders since the petitioner V Palanisamy said that he would withdraw his petition. Recording his submissions, the bench dismissed the petition as withdrawn.

In his affidavit, Palanisamy mentioned that since Anbazhagan was a former education minister, the state government is looking to erect a statue for him on the DPI campus.

“Each and every political party which ruled the state will have their own former education ministers. Hence, it would set a bad precedent in the history of TN,” the petition read.

He also pointed out to the orders of the Supreme Court and High Court, which were passed against erecting any statues on public lands. “Government Poramboke/Meikal Poramboke, affecting/infringing the rights of the common people. The erection of a statue of a particular leader of a particular political party in public or government places may cause hindrance to the general public. Further, spending huge amounts of public money to erect a statue of a particular political leader is against the Constitution,” he added.