Following DMK’s demand to remove pictures of former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa from government offices and welfare schemes, two public interest litigations for the same were filed in the Madras High Court on Monday.
The case came up for hearing at 2:15pm in the Madras High Court. The PILs have been filed by DMK legislator J Anbazhagan and advocate K Balu who is the president of the Pattali Makkal Katchi-affiliated Advocates Forum for Social Justice, reported The Times of India.
The case was heard by Chief Justice Huluvadi G Ramesh and Justice R Mahadevan. Balu’s PIL was listed as the first item on Monday but former additional solicitor-general of India, P Wilson, informed the court about the new PIL by Anbazhagan, and asked the judges to hear both the PILs together.
In the PIL, Balu has asked the court not to allow Jayalalithaa’s pictures to be put up in the government offices and also in the government-sponsored welfare schemes. Moreover, he also wants the court to restrain the making of a memorial for Jayalalithaa citing the Supreme Court’s verdict in the Disproportionate Assets case.
However, both the PILs have been filed based on the Supreme Court verdict on February 14, 2017. Anbazhagan also referred to the government order which stated that portraits of former and current chief ministers could be used in government offices but in this case, Jayalalithaa’s portrait cannot be used as she is ‘constitutionally condemned’, reported ToI.
This comes after DMK working president MK Stalin’s demand on Saturday to remove the pictures of Jayalalithaa, as she had been convicted in the Disproportionate Assets case. The DMK leader wrote to Chief Secretary Girija Vaidyanathan regarding the same. He claimed that evidences regarding his complaint had also been submitted.
The Madras HC has issued a notice to the Chief Secretary and TN Govt asking them to reply to the petition filed by DMK's J Anbazhagan and DMK Balu. The case has been adjourned to March 20.