‘States, UTs not to give nod for statues at public places’
19 Jan 2013 6:42 AM IST
The Supreme Court on Friday restrained state governments and Union territories from granting permission for statues or any structure at public places that might obstruct traffic movement, saying citizens’ right to move freely can’t be taken away.
The ruling came when the apex court was hearing a petition against the Kerala government granting permission for the statue of late Congress leader N Sundaram Nadar on the traffic island at Neyyattinkara junction on a national highway in Thiruvananthapuram.
Stating that public interest must be paramount, the SC bench comprising justices RM Lodha and SJ Mukhopadhaya said, ‘Public road is nobody’s property. Each and every citizen has a right to move freely on roads. That right cannot be taken away by putting statues, temples, mosques, churches etc... such a practice must be done away with.’
The apex court, in fact, suggested that ‘instead of using the funds for glorifying someone, why can’t that be used for uplift of poor’.
Putting an immediate halt to the work on the statue on Thiruvananthapuram till further orders, the bench said, ‘Until further orders, we direct that status quo be maintained where the statue is permitted to be installed.’
‘Henceforth, the Kerala government would not grant any permission for statue or construction of any structure at public places, roads or places of public utility,’ ruled the bench, even as it clarified that ‘this would not apply for installation of traffic utility structures like street lights etc.’
‘The above order shall also apply to all other states and Union Territories,’ the bench added.
Questioning the Kerala government for allowing the statue at the traffic island, the SC bench said, ‘Actually, we have to examine the policy of the state’ as ‘we have our doubt whether such permission can be granted for installation of statue on the National Highway.
It said without disturbing the law and order situation, these unauthorised structures should be removed.
The ruling came when the apex court was hearing a petition against the Kerala government granting permission for the statue of late Congress leader N Sundaram Nadar on the traffic island at Neyyattinkara junction on a national highway in Thiruvananthapuram.
Stating that public interest must be paramount, the SC bench comprising justices RM Lodha and SJ Mukhopadhaya said, ‘Public road is nobody’s property. Each and every citizen has a right to move freely on roads. That right cannot be taken away by putting statues, temples, mosques, churches etc... such a practice must be done away with.’
The apex court, in fact, suggested that ‘instead of using the funds for glorifying someone, why can’t that be used for uplift of poor’.
Putting an immediate halt to the work on the statue on Thiruvananthapuram till further orders, the bench said, ‘Until further orders, we direct that status quo be maintained where the statue is permitted to be installed.’
‘Henceforth, the Kerala government would not grant any permission for statue or construction of any structure at public places, roads or places of public utility,’ ruled the bench, even as it clarified that ‘this would not apply for installation of traffic utility structures like street lights etc.’
‘The above order shall also apply to all other states and Union Territories,’ the bench added.
Questioning the Kerala government for allowing the statue at the traffic island, the SC bench said, ‘Actually, we have to examine the policy of the state’ as ‘we have our doubt whether such permission can be granted for installation of statue on the National Highway.
It said without disturbing the law and order situation, these unauthorised structures should be removed.
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