‘Plea on memorial arch politically motivated’

The petition challenging the construction of an arch on Rajaji Salai here to commemorate the diamond jubilee celebrations of the Tamil Nadu Assembly is politically-motivated, the State government told the Madras High Court on Thursday.

The petitioner — advocate M S Arasakumar of Kodambakkam — is a DMK functionary and hence his plea is politically-motivated, the common counter affidavits from the Chief Secretary and the PWD Secretary said.

The counter was filed on behalf of the officials by Special Government Pleader I S Inbadurai before a division bench comprising justices R Banumathi and K K Sasidharan. It said the petitioner and his father belonged to the DMK party and it was obvious that the petition was “a politically-motivated, vexatious and frivolous one”.

The Chennai Corporation and the Public Works Department had granted permission to erect the arch on the eve of the jubilee celebrations.  Also, Rajaji Salai comes under the purview of the Corporation and is not a National Highway, as alleged by the petitioner. Hence, the National Highways Act would not apply.

The arch had been planned in such a way that it would not pose any hindrance to vehicular traffic on Rajaji Salai, which is an undivided four-lane carriageway, the counter stated.

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