Jaya memorial: HC issues notice to TN

Madras High Court on Monday issued a notice to Tamil Nadu government and Chennai Corporation on a plea opposing construction of a memorial to former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa using government funds.

"The state has raised memorials for former chief ministers like Kamarajar and CN Annadurai. But Jayalalithaa cannot be included on the list since she went to jail not for public cause but for indulging in the corrupt practice of looting Tamil Nadu of Rs 53 crore," argued petitioner advocate S Duraisamy.

A division bench headed by Justice M Sathyanarayanan admitted the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) petition and ordered notice to the government and the Chennai Corporation returnable by August 18.

The petitioner said that memorials are raised in praise and memory of leaders who spent their life for the public cause. He said that if her followers wanted to raise a memorial irrespective of what she did for the people, they could do it with their own money in their own place.

Pointing out that even the existing memorial for former CM MG Ramachandran was built without obtaining any approval from the authorities, he demanded that the Chennai Corporation should not grant any permission for the Jayalalithaa's memorial in the absence of elected Councillors.