CHENNAI: Devendrakula Vellalar Uravinmurai Sangam, a social organisation, has moved the Tamil Nadu State Commission for SC/ST to take action against certain top bureaucrats who allegedly scuttled their efforts to install a statue of freedom fighter Sundaralingam in Madurai city. Advocate C Selvakumar, Madurai district president of the organisation, recently submitted a petition to the commission in this regard.
In 2010, the organisation submitted an application to the Madurai district Collector seeking permission to install the statue. After eliciting the views of the government authorities concerned, the Collector forwarded a proposal to the State government, he said. Subsequently, a site was fixed and a unanimous resolution was passed in the Corporation Council in February 2011.
“However, the police were delaying the process without submitting any reports on the matter. When there was no progress, a petition was filed before the Madras High Court which directed the Home Secretary to take a decision within a time frame,” the petitioner recalled. In due course of time, contempt of court cases were filed and representations were submitted to top authorities of the government regarding non-compliance with the court orders but all went in vain, he rued.
Selvakumar stated that certain political leaders, with the help of government authorities, installed a statue of late chief minister J Jayalalithaa without proper permission or adhering to the guidelines of the Supreme Court.
Later in 2019, a GO was issued to reject the plea of the association for handing over the said site for installation of the statue, he said, adding that a writ petition, challenging the GO, was pending before the High Court. He blamed the top officers, including the secretaries of Revenue, Home, and ex-district Collector and police Commissioner of Madurai.
Committed cruelty
Officers have committed cruelty punishable under the Prevention of Atrocities (SC/ST) Act. Appropriate action should be taken against them, association demanded