HC stays Salem Corporation order on DMK leader's statue

Madras High Court today stayed for two weeks an order of Salem Corporation directing removal of a statue of late DMK district secretary Veerapandi S Arumugam, slated to be unveiled tomorrow in the party premises there.
Justice V Dhanapalan passed the interim order on a petition by DMK Salem district incharge S R Sivalingam challenging the January 20 last order of Corporation Commissioner M Ashokan.
"List the matter after two weeks for counter and disposal. In the meantime there shall be an order of interim stay of the operation of the impugned order for a period of two weeks," the Judge ordered.

The petitioner submitted that the statue of Arumugam, a DMK veteran in western Tamil Nadu and former minister, had been erected in land belonged to the party and arrangements made for unveiling it by Party Treasurer M K Stalin tomorrow.
He said the Assistant Commissioner of Salem Corporation had on Jan 17 accorded permission for erecting banners for the inauguration of the statue.
However, the Corporation Commissioner, citing a November 1998 order, directed removal of the statue saying prior permission for erecting statues had not been obtained.
Seeking quashing of the order, Sivalingam said the authorities cannot prevent the installation of the statue in a private land.

He also prayed for an interim direction to stay further proceedings pursuant to the impugned order.