Removing Sivaji Ganesan's statue: contempt petition adjourned

The Madras High Court today adjourned by a week a contempt petition filed in connection with removing of a statue of the late Sivaji Ganesan from a busy road junction.
Earlier the division bench comprising justices Satish K. Agnihothri and K K Sasidharan had adjourned the petition filed by one P Nagarajan, enabling Government Pleader S T S Moorthy to get instructions and file an affidavit by today.
When the matter came up today, the bench adjourned the matter for a week on the request of Advocate General A L Somayaji.
The contempt petition was filed in connection with the implementation of the HC order in connection with the writ filed with regard to removing of the statue.

The petitioner is the son of one P N Srinivasan, a Gandhian and social worker who had originally filed the writ to remove the statue in the middle of the busy Kamarajar Salai -Radhakrishnan salai junction, opposite a statue of Gandhi.
As his father died during the pendency of the petition, Nagarajan substituted himself in continuation of the PIL.

The High Court had on January 23 2014 directed the Tamil Nadu government to take a decision as expeditiously as possible with regard to removal of the statue.
Nagarajan submitted that government had neither complied with the Jan 23 order nor taken steps to consider the issue even after 10 months had passed since the order was given.

He said he had already sent a notice to the government authorities concerned on May 21 last year on their inaction, but had not received any response.
The petitioner submitted that lack of action on the part of the government amounts to willful disobedience of the Court order, warranting punishment under the contempt of Courts Act and sought punishment of those concerned.