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The Supreme Court, on Monday, September 22, dismissed the Tamil Nadu government’s plea seeking permission to install a bronze statue and name board of the late Chief Minister M Karunanidhi near the entrance of Valliyoor Daily Vegetable Market in Tirunelveli district. The court ruled that public funds cannot be used for such purposes.
“It is not permitted. Why are you using public funds for glorifying your former leaders?” observed a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Prashant Kumar Mishra, according to TNIE. The court asked the state to withdraw its Special Leave Petition (SLP) and approach the Madras High Court for appropriate relief, if required.
Senior advocate P Wilson, appearing for the state, urged the court to clarify whether the arch, which was not specifically challenged, could still be permitted. However, the bench declined to entertain the request and dismissed the appeal.
The Madras High Court, in the impugned order, had held that the state government cannot issue permissions for statues in public places. It noted that such installations cause “traffic congestion and other mitigating factors” that place hardships on the public, stressing that “the rights of the citizens, in all respects under the Constitution, are to be protected by the State.”
The High Court had further directed the government to identify lands for the creation of dedicated “Leaders Parks” across Tamil Nadu, where statues of political figures could be relocated or installed without inconveniencing the public. It said such parks would be “of much benefit to the youth of this country, as they can learn about the ideas and ideologies of those leaders.”
Notably, the High Court had previously stayed the erection of a Karunanidhi statue in Thiruvannamalai in 2022, citing both traffic congestion and concerns over illegal encroachment of public land.