MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has held that it cannot direct authorities to grant permission to install a statue of freedom fighter Veerapandiya Kattabomman.
Kumarasamy from Ramanathapuram had filed a petition stating that he owned patta land in Mustakurichi village in Virudhunagar district. He had applied to the district collector seeking permission to install a bronze statue of Veerapandiya Kattabomman on his land, but the request was rejected. He sought to quash the order and grant permission.
Hearing the case, Justice Bharatha Chakravarthy noted that the petitioner and members of his community viewed Veerapandiya Kattabomman through a caste lens and had sought permission on that basis. The collector had denied permission citing this reason.
Officials also expressed concern that freedom fighters were increasingly being identified along caste lines, leading to a need for additional police security every year.
The judge observed that when people forget the sacrifices of freedom fighters for the country and instead celebrate them based on caste, authorities are compelled to deny permission for installing statues. He added that creating a caste-free society is a fundamental objective of all political parties.
Stating that there was no reason to interfere with the collector’s order, the judge dismissed the petition.