The Madras High Court has ordered the Thanjavur District Collector to relocate a statue of Dravidian reformer E V Ramasamy Periyar from the premises of Arulmigu Brahmasirakandeeswarar Temple in Kandiyur, holding that its installation on temple land lacked permission from the competent authorities.
A Division Bench of Justices P Velmurugan and K K Ramakrishnan directed the Collector to ensure the statue’s safe removal and identify another suitable location for its placement within four weeks. The court also sought a compliance report on the action taken.
The order followed the court’s examination of a status report submitted by the District Collector, which established that the statue stood on land belonging to the temple rather than government ‘poramboke’ land.
No Authorisation for Installation on Temple Property
The Madurai Bench found that the statue had been erected without approval from the temple administration, the District Collector or any other competent authority.
Taking note of the absence of permission, the court directed the Collector to arrange for its safe relocation to an appropriate alternative site.
The Bench instructed the registry to list the case after four weeks to examine whether its directions had been implemented.
Petition Sought Action Based on HR and CE Recommendation
The proceedings arose from a writ petition filed by Rama Ravikumar, who sought judicial directions for removing the statue from the temple property.
Ravikumar requested that the removal be carried out within a court-fixed deadline, relying on a recommendation made by the Joint Commissioner of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR and CE) Department.
The dispute concerned the location of the Periyar statue near the perimeter of Arulmigu Brahmasirakandeeswarar Temple at Kandiyur, situated in Thiruvaiyaru taluk of Thanjavur district.
The statue was installed several decades ago in memory of E V Ramasamy (1879–1973), widely known as Periyar, a rationalist and social reformer associated with the Dravidian movement.
The High Court’s directions require the district administration to shift the statue to another suitable location and report compliance when the matter is taken up after four weeks.
