Scores of lawyers who religiously pay floral tributes to the massive white marble statue of Madras High Court’s first Indian judge Justice T. Muthuswami Iyer before beginning their day’s work may not be able to do so henceforth since the court administration has requested the lawyers to avoid garlanding the statue since it was vulnerable to moisture.
In a board placed on the lofty pedestal of the statue, the Registry stated that archaeologists involved in the ongoing renovation works of the 125-year-old heritage building of the High Court had advised that the statue, installed in 1898, about three years after his death on January 15, 1895, be kept free of moisture in order to ensure its long life.
Justice Iyer is revered by many advocates who make it a point to climb the first floor of the court building every day to seek his blessings by touching the feet of the statue, facing the iconic Rajamannar Hall, before proceeding towards the court halls. Some of them bring flowers and garlands along with them to pay their respects.
The judge had served the High Court for 17 years between 1878 and 1895. His imposing marble statue shows him in a sitting posture on the judge’s seat with a turban on his head and without any footwear because he considered the seat a divine place and used to remove his footwear before climbing up the dais to take his seat in his court hall.
