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DMK moves HC after Jaya portrait unveiled in TN assembly

DMK moves HC after Jaya portrait unveiled in TN assembly

Jayalalithaa

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The seven-ft high portrait was successfully unveiled this morning

Shortly after late J Jayalalithaa's portrait was unveiled on Monday in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, the opposition DMK moved the Madras High Court seeking its removal.

DMK leaders sought the removal of the portrait stating that the late AIADMK supremo was found guilty on corruption charges.

When the first bench of Chief Justice Indira Banerjee and Justice Abdul Quddhose commenced proceedings on Monday at about 10.30 am, DMK's counsel P Wilson made an urgent mention and requested the court to take up the plea.

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According to the petitioner, Jayalalithaa was convicted by a special court on graft charges. Later the same was set aside by the Karnataka high court while the Supreme Court found all the accused guilty of the charges. In view of her demise, appeals against Jayalalithaa were treated as abated, the petitioner said.

Members from the DMK have already filed a plea in the high court seeking removal of Jayalalithaa's photos. The plea also seeks to remove her name displayed or mentioned in government offices, buildings, public sector undertakings and government schemes.

The plea alleged that the Speaker, P Dhanapal,"arbitrarily" took a decision on February 10 to unveil a portrait of Jayalalithaa in the assembly hall in the presence of the chief minister and the deputy chief minister.

The plea called the speaker's decision unconstitutional, tainted with illegality, highly arbitrary and unreasonable.

"It is antithetical to standards of morality and probity enshrined in our Constitution and expounded by the Supreme Court of India from time to time," the counsel said.

"The intention of the then Speakers to display photographs.. inside the Assembly was to serve as an example and reminder to all the members of the august assembly that the elected representatives should live and conduct themselves like these leaders whose life is an example of the highest standards of public life," the petitioner submitted.

"It could never have been the intention of the then speakers to hang portraits of convicts, culprits or persons convicted of offences involving moral turpitude like corruption," the petitioner said.

The petitioner has urged the court to direct the authorities to remove the portrait of Jayalalithaa from the precincts of the assembly.

(With inputs from agencies)