The Madras High Court today directed the Highways dept to remove actor Sivaji Ganesan statue from Kamaraj Salai before 16 November.
The Bench passed the order on a public interest litigation petition filed by P N Srinivasan, a Gandhian, in 2006 originally to restrain the Tamil Nadu government from installing the statue at the junction of Kamarajar Salai and Radhakrishnan Salai.
During the currency of the petition, the petitioner died. His son, P. Nagarajan was substituted as the petitioner.
The statue was installed on July 12, 2006. Later, the prayer was amended to direct the authorities to remove the structure.
The petitioner opposed the erection of the statue on grounds that it would violate a State government undertaking before the Supreme Court that no statue or structure would be erected on public roads.
The police submitted that because of the statue, motorists’ visibility, was affected.
The Bench said the Tamil Nadu government’s undertaking before the Supreme Court would apply to all local bodies in the State.
