Taking into account the fact that there is no objection to the installation of the statue of Tamil saint-poet Thiruvalluvar in Dindigul, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has directed the State to take steps to issue a government order to this effect.
A Division Bench of Justices R. Mahadevan and J. Sathya Narayana Prasad directed the Additional Chief Secretary/Revenue Administration Commissioner, Revenue Administration and Disaster Management Department, to take steps to issue the G.O. in four weeks.
With the direction, the court disposed of a public interest litigation petition filed by Thiruvalluvar Ilakkia Peravai, Dindigul, represented by its secretary R. Ganesan, who had sought a direction to authorities to permit the statue installation.
The petitioner association proposed to install a five-foot-tall brass statue of Thiruvalluvar from the contributions received from public and volunteers. St. Loorthu Annai Girls Higher Secondary School offered its patta land for the installation of the statue. The statue was installed in 2021. However, the authorities removed it and kept it in the safe custody of the school, as it was installed without obtaining permission from the competent authority.
As per a G.O., it was the policy of the government that statues, memorial pillars, memorials and memorial arches should not be installed in any public place without the prior permission of the government, it was submitted.
The court took note of the communication sent by the Dindigul Collector to the Additional Chief Secretary/Revenue Administration Commissioner, Revenue Administration and Disaster Management Department, stating that the school management had expressed its consent to the installation of the statue on the school premises.
The Superintendent of Police, Dindigul, raised no objection for the statue installation, as there would be no hindrance to public and vehicular traffic. The District Revenue Officer also recommended it by pointing out that there were no religious institutions, waterbodies, burial grounds and symbols or marks of archaeological significance in the place and there was no electric line across the land.
The Dindigul Corporation Commissioner and the Divisional Engineer, Highways Department, also expressed no objection to the statue installation. Considering all these factors, the Collector made the recommendation and requested the Additional Chief Secretary/Revenue Administration Commissioner, Revenue Administration and Disaster Management Department, to pass a G.O. for the statue installation by the petitioner association in the place earmarked.
