Ambedkar photos not to be removed from courts

CHENNAI: Chief Justice of the Madras High Court Sanjay Vijaykumar Gangapurwala agreed to continue the status quo with regard to the hanging of portraits of leaders, including B R Ambedkar, and said that no orders had been issued to remove any photograph from courts.

Justice Gangapurwala gave the assurance to State Minister for Law S Raghupathy when he called on him on Monday to explain the government's position that the portraits of Ambedkar should not be removed from courts as it had been reported in various quarters.

Referring to an old order by the Madras High Court that portraits of Mahatma Gandhi and Thiruvallur should alone adorn the walls of court buildings, there was z talk that the pictures of Ambedkar would be taken off from courtroom walls in the State, creating controversy with many lawyers associations and others raising objections to it.

In the backdrop of the controversy, the State Law Minister met the Chief Justice of the High Court and handed over a letter clearly stating the government's position on the issue, besides explaining that the government was against such moves.

Advocates associations had also been informed that the portraits of Ambedkar would not be removed from the walls as the status quo would continue, an official press release said on Monday.