An appeal has been filed before a Division Bench of the Kerala High Court against a single judge’s order vacating its directive not to remove the rechristened road name board on Pallichal road near Thoppumpady.
On March 3, the name board of the road was found changed to V.S. Krishnan Bhagavathar road.
C.D. Thomas and Sudheer K. Gopal, residents of Pallichal Road, moved the High Court seeking the restoration of the old name, even as the petition against the move was pending. They alleged that there was a strong lobby to rename roads and streets in the corporation limits.
In his appeal, V.T. Lawrence of Thoppumppady said Krishanan Bhagavathar, a resident of Pyary Junction, was a social reformer.
As 2013 was his birth centenary, residents had approached the councillor of XI Division to rechristen the road.
Consequently, the corporation council decided to change the name and sanctioned funds.
When Mr. Lawrence learned that corporation authorities were going to remove the renamed boards, he moved the High Court pleading a directive against the move.
The High Court then issued an interim order not to change the name board. However, when the court was told that no decision was taken by the council to remove the board, the court vacated its interim directive.
The petitioner contended that the documents he produced showed that the proposal to rename the road had been scrutinised by all the standing committees of the corporation. The submission of the Corporation Standing Council that no decision had been taken to remove the new name board was incorrect and false.
He said Ceiline Peter, councillor of the ward, had recommended renaming the road. He said works for removing the old name board and putting up a new board had been awarded at the estimated rate approved by the works committee.
His contention was that the corporation had the power to name a road and alter names of any public road or street. This road had been renamed through a resolution, he said.
