DMK plea to remove portrait to be heard today
The bench said the petition would be taken up for hearing on Tuesday.
Chennai: The DMK party has approached the Madras high court to direct the Speaker and Secretary of Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly to remove the portrait of former Chief Minister late J. Jayalalithaa, which was unveiled in the precincts of Tamil Nadu State assembly on Monday, as she has been found guilty of corruption charges by the Supreme court.
When the proceedings commenced before the First Bench comprising Chief Justice Indira Banerjee and Justice Abdul Quddhose, senior counsel P. Wilson, appearing for the DMK made a mention to take up the case for hearing early. The bench said the petition would be taken up for hearing on Tuesday.
Later the same was set aside by the Karnataka high court. But, the Supreme Court found all the accused including Jayalalithaa guilty of corruption charges. In view of her demise, she was not imposed with a sentence and appeals against her were treated as abated. At the same time, the co-accused were convicted and sentenced to 4 years imprisonment with fine of Rs 100 crore and the properties belonging to the accused were ordered to be attached, he added.
He said when the photos and the name of Jayalalithaa were displayed and mentioned in government offices and schemes, he filed a petition and the same was pending for adjudication before this court. In these circumstances, the Speaker of the Tamil Nadu State Assembly has arbitrarily taken a decision on February 10 to unveil a portrait of Jayalalithaa in the Tamil Nadu State Asssembly Hall on February 12 in the presence of the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister.
The Leader of Opposition, M.K.Stalin strongly objected to the unveiling of portrait of Jayalalithaa in the assembly hall and such a move by the Speaker was totally against the finding of the Supreme Court. Similarly various political parties have also objected for the unveiling of portrait of Jayalalithaa. But without heeding the requests, the Speaker was unveiling the portrait of Jayalalitha. The same was liable to be removed, he added.
He said the intention of the then Speakers to display photographs/portraits of renowned, eminent, virtuous leaders of the past inside the assembly was to serve as an example and reminder to all the Ministers of the august assembly that the elected representatives should live and conduct themselves like these leaders whose life was an example of the highest standards of public life.
It could never have been the intention of the then Speakers to hang portrait of convicts, culprits or persons convicted of offences involving moral turpitude like corruption. Purity and probity in public life were the touchstones of any democratic set up and persons who have been convicted of graft were the antithesis of Constitutional governance. The decision of the Speaker to unveil the portrait of Jayalallithaa was untenable, he added.