In this PIL, the petitioner challenged the alleged decision by the Municipal Corporation to install a statue resembling a deity. The Court found the petitioner lacked material evidence of a government proposal and dismissed the petition.
This page shows the compact analysis of this judgement. The full analysis — procedural history, issue-by-issue holdings with ratio and obiter, advocates, and paragraph-level evidence for every claim — is being added to the record in batches and will appear here when this judgement has been through it.
HON’BLE THE ACTING CHIEF JUSTICE DILIP B. BHOSALE AND HON’BLE SRI JUSTICE S.V. BHATT
PIL No. 139 OF 2015
22-06-2015
Between:
Rastriya Praja Congress (secular), rep., by its Executive Member, Rajahmundry City, Sri Baddireddy Satyanarayana, S/o Narayana Rao, aged about 56 years, Occ: Private Employee, R/o.D.No.11-5-4/1, Dommetivari Street, Seshayya Mitta, Rajahmundry Urban, East Godavari District
… Petitioner
And
The Rajahmundry Municipal Corporation, Rajahmundry, East Godavari District, rep., by its Commissioner and four others
… Respondents
HON’BLE THE ACTING CHIEF JUSTICE DILIP B. BHOSALE AND HON’BLE SRI JUSTICE S.V. BHATT
PIL No. 139 OF 2015
PC: (per the Hon’ble the Acting Chief Justice Dilip B. Bhosale)
This public interest litigation is filed by one Rashtriya Praja Congress (secular) represented by its Executive Member challenging the action of the respondents to install/erect a statue of late Sri N.T.Rama Rao, former Chief Minister of the State of Andhra Pradesh, allegedly in the form of/with the face resembling to the Lord Sri Krishna at Pushkaraghat, Rajahmundry, East Godavari, as illegal, arbitrary, unconstitutional and against all canons of democratic norms and the secular fabric of the country. The petitioner has also prayed for direction to the respondents not to install/erect such statue.
We have heard learned counsel for the petitioner and when we asked him specifically as to whether he has any material to show that the Government proposed to install/erect the statue of late Sri N.T. Rama Rao, in the form of/with the face resembling to that of Lord Sri Krishna, at Pushkaraghat, he could not and did not place any such material except some newspaper cuttings.
The newspaper reports also do not show that the statue will be erected/installed depicting Sri N.T. Rama Rao, former Chief Minister of the State, as Lord Sri Krishna.
Keeping that in view and considering that it is a decision of the respondents to erect/install the statue, we do not wish to entertain this petition.
The public interest litigation is accordingly dismissed.
Miscellaneous petitions, if any, also stand disposed of.
_________________________ DILIP B. BHOSALE, ACJ
________________________ S.V. BHATT, J 22-06-2015 ks
1 issue framed by the court
Whether the Court should entertain a PIL challenging the proposal to erect a statue of a former Chief Minister resembling a deity.
Rastriya Praja Congress (secular) rep. by Executive Member Raja Reddy Satyanarayana
The Rajahmundry Municipal Corporation rep. by its Commissioner
DILIP B. BHOSALE
S.V. BHATT
As recorded by the court registry
Litigation brought on behalf of the public interest rather than a personal grievance, relaxing the usual rule of locus standi.
Judgements on the same questions, provisions and authorities, from every court
