PIL filed in Madras HC against conversion of Jayalalithaa residence to Public Memorial

A writ petition has been filed in the Madras High Court against the state government’s recent decision to convert the residence of former Chief Minister, J Jayalalithaa, into a public memorial. The petition has been filed by one Thangavelu..The incumbent Chief Minister, E Palaniswamy, had declared that “Veda Nilayam”, the erstwhile residence of Jayalalithaa at Poes Garden in Chennai would be converted into a public memorial through an announcement made in the leading dailies on August 17. The petitioner has contended that to do the same would set a bad precedent on moral grounds..Thangavelu has alluded to the conviction of Jayalalithaa in the disproportionate assets case. The trial court at Karnataka had convicted the former Chief Minister on graft charges. Although this decision was successfully assailed at the Karnataka High Court, ultimately the Supreme Court confirmed the conviction of the trial court in 2017, shortly after the passing of Jayalalithaa..The petitioner has emphasised that a public memorial should be constructed by the government for a public purpose. On the other hand, the petitioner contends, it is likely that the several illegal transactions for which Jayalalithaa was convicted would have taken place in her residence. Hence, to confer on it the status of a public memorial would amount to a wrong precedent and a waste of public money..According to the petitioner, the government has already taken steps for verification of the property and its conversion into a public memorial..On these grounds, the petitioner has approached the High Court with the plea that the impugned announcement and action taken in furtherance of it by the state government be declared unjust and unsustainable in law..Read copy of Writ Petition below..Image taken from here.