HC posts PIL hearing on Periyar statue before Madurai Bench

Chennai, Dec 11 (UNI) Madras High Court today posted before the Madurai bench, the hearing on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL), seeking to restrain the Dravidar Kazhagam (DK) from installing a statue of Periyar E V Ramasamy in front of the Sri Ranganathaswamy temple at Srirangam.

When the PIL filed by Siva Sena General Secretary H T Krishnamoorthy came up for hearing, a Division Bench comprising Chief Justice A P Shah and Mr Justice K Chandru said since similar matter was pending before Madurai Bench of Madras High Court, it was posting the hearing on the PIL before the same bench.

In his PIL, Krishnamoorthy submitted that the DK was making arrangements to install the statue on Amma Mandapam Road in Srirangam. The move by the Kazhagam was motivated as it would affect peace and harmony of the temple town. The Periyar Statue Committee made the first proposal in 1973 and the then Municipality Chairman, Y Venkatesa Dikshidar, passed a resolution to allot a land for installing the statue.

Based on the resolution, a government order was issued on January 24, 1973 allotting the land near the local police station.

In 1975, the allotted land was handed over to the Suya Mariyathai Kazhagam, a wing of the DK. Repeated attempts to install the statue at the proposed site were postponed due to opposition from local public and Hindu organisations. The proposed location was next to the Sri Patham of Sri Chaitanya Maha Prabu. The move would also cause traffic congestion, Krishnamoorthy contended.

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