The Madras High Court Bench here on Monday reserved its orders on a public interest litigation petition seeking a direction to the State government to remove portraits of former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa from government offices and replace them with that of her successor O. Panneerselvam.
Justices V. Dhanapalan and V.M. Velumani deferred their verdict after hearing Advocate General A.L. Somayaji, who contended that a 2006 Government Order permits display of former Chief Ministers’ portraits in government offices, and petitioner’s counsel W. Peter Ramesh Kumar who questioned the propriety behind displaying a convict’s portrait.
The AG contended that a G.O. passed on August 4, 2006 empowers government offices to display the portraits of the incumbent Chief Minister as well as those of former Chief Ministers. “It is the prerogative of the government to decide whose portraits should be displayed. The petitioner cannot dictate which portrait can and which cannot be displayed,” he said.
He also pointed out that a similar case was filed in the Principal Seat of the High Court in Chennai by Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam MLA T.R.B. Rajaa. Observing that the case was “partly a political battle,” the First Bench headed by Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul had disposed it of on November 24 with a direction to consider the petitioner’s representation within a month.
On the other hand, petitioner’s counsel said the G.O. permits display of former Chief Ministers’ portraits without utilising government funds. “But all the portraits of the former Chief Minister were displayed in government offices by spending government money before her conviction in a disproportionate assets case and they continue to be displayed without any change.
