Plea in Madras High Court seeks directive to Centre for steps to retrieve stolen idols

Another study by the State government published in 1967 showed that idol thefts and illegal exports had come to the attention of the authorities as far back as in the 1920s and 30s.
Madras High Court (Photo | D Sampath Kumar, EPS)
Madras High Court (Photo | D Sampath Kumar, EPS)

CHENNAI: A PIL petition has been filed in the Madras High Court for a directive to the Centre to make an official proclamation in the gazette that the statues and sculptures, including 21 Anaimangalam copper plates (Rajendra Cholan Leiden Plates), belonged to it and get them back to India.

A special bench of Justices R Mahadevan and P D Audikesavalu, before which the plea from  B Jagannath, an advocate, came up for hearing on Tuesday, ordered notice to the authorities concerned, returnable in two weeks.

Petitioner said he had sent a representation on September 5, 2018 to various authorities of the State and Central governments to take steps to bring back the stolen antiques and idols of heritage value back to India. As there was no response, he filed the present petition, he said.

According to petitioner, even the United Nations Social Defence Research Institute’s publication ‘The Protection of the Artistic and Archaeological Heritage’ which was released in 1976, stated that between 1969 and 1973, 240 idols had been stolen from Tamil Nadu. 

Another study by the State government published in 1967 showed that idol thefts and illegal exports had come to the attention of the authorities as far back as in the 1920s and 30s. Several of these early cases involved the illegal export of stolen idols to France via Puducherry. The number of reported thefts rose steeply in 1940 to 49 and this trend continued from 1950 to 1959.

In his representation, he had pointed out there was no concrete action to bring back the stolen idols and statues and sculptures

Related Stories

No stories found.
The New Indian Express
www.newindianexpress.com