HC wants govt to come clear on statue shift

The High Court on Monday directed the State government to make its stance clear on shifting the statue of Dr B R Ambedkar in the precincts of the Vidhana Soudha, within two days.

The Division Bench comprising Acting Chief Justice K Sreedhar Rao and Justice Abdul Nazeer, during the hearing of a public interest litigation refused to grant more time to the government. Additional Advocate General Sajjan Poovaiah, sought more time so that the government can arrive at a decision.

He submitted that the hanging of the statue will be a temporary measure. The Bench, however, refused to buy the argument.

“Your version is different from BMRCL. They say that the statue will be hanging till September 2013 until the blasting is over. It is dangerous for the statue to hang over there. It will be damaged if it touches the ground violently. I don’t understand why the government is not sensitive to the issue. Keep the statue aside and then bring it back to the original location.” the Acting Chief Justice said.

The Bench said a similar procedure is adopted in temples by shifting the idols during renovation.

“They are doing a great disservice to the person who has done a yeoman service,”the Chief Justice noted.  However, the Bench adjourned the hearing as the AAG sought more time.