Chennai: The Thanthai Periyar Dravidar Kalagam has filed a petition in the Madras high court to restrain authorities from raising any memorial for late former chief minister J. Jayalalithaa by spending government funds at the Marina Beach or elsewhere and also to direct them to remove her portraits from the public places.
A division bench comprising acting Chief Justice Huluvadi G. Ramesh and Justice R. Mahadevan before whom the petition filed by C. Kumaran, Chennai district secretary of Thanthai Periyar Dravidar Kalagam came up for hearing, posted it on March 20 along with petitions seeking similar relief.
According to the petitioner, while reversing the judgment of the Karnataka high court in the Rs 66.65 crore disproportionate wealth case, the Supreme Court had confirmed the finding of the trial court that Jayalalithaa and others were found guilty of heinous offences of looting the public money.
Unfortunately, Jayalalithaa escaped the jail term, since she died, even before the verdict of the apex court. As per the observation made by the trial court, if the portrait of the corrupt person was exhibited in the government offices, it will induce the officers to indulge in corrupt practices. Moreover, as on date, she was a convict. Her properties were yet to be confiscated by the Tamil Nadu government as per the orders of the court. While so, the chief minister had announced that the Tamil Nadu government will construct a memorial for Jayalalithaa at Marina beach. A convict cannot be honoured by exhibiting her portrait in the public offices, he added.
He said if at all her followers whether they were corrupt persons or non-corrupt persons want to raise a memorial in her memory, irrespective of what she did for the people, they can do it at their own cost at their own place. But not from the government funds at the public place, he added.
