High Court's Verdict on the Installation of Atal Bihari Vajpayee Statue

The Telangana High Court has dismissed the public interest litigation (PIL) filed by social activist Jetti Umeshwar Rao, which challenged the installation of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's statue. The court, consisting of Acting Chief Justice Justice Sujoy Paul and Justice Renuka Yarlagadda, delivered this verdict.

Umeshwar Rao had filed the PIL against the installation of the statue at Public Garden in the Secunderabad Cantonment area. He sought the removal of the statue and the restoration of the garden to its original state. The petitioner's lawyer argued that the installation was against the orders of the Supreme Court and suggested an inquiry into the misuse of government funds. He raised concerns about land encroachment, stating that 13 acres of the garden had already been encroached upon and that installing statues would exacerbate the space shortage. He also feared that the park's children's play area would be reduced and that statues would be used for political meetings. He expressed concerns that demands for statues of leaders from other political parties could arise in the future, posing a potential threat to law and order.

However, Additional Solicitor General Narsimha Sharma and Deputy Solicitor General Gadi Praveen Kumar, representing the government, argued that the petitioner had no legal right in this matter and that the statue would not cause any inconvenience to the public. They cited previous Supreme Court rulings, stating that objections to the installation of statues generally apply only in cases of caste or religious contexts. After considering the arguments, the bench concluded that there was no need to halt the installation of the memorial statue of Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

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