Telangana High Court permits Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s statue in Secunderabad Public Garden

Dismisses public interest litigation filed by social activist Jetty Umeshwar Rao

Hyderabad: A two-judge bench of the Telangana High Court comprising acting Chief Justice Sujoy Paul and Justice Renuka Yara on Wednesday permitted the installation of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s statue and dismissed a public interest litigation case filed challenging the installation of the said statue in the Secunderabad Public Garden.

Jetty Umeshwar Rao, a social activist, filed the public interest litigation challenging the actions of authorities for proceeding with the construction work of a politician’s memorial statue at the Public Garden in Secunderabad Cantonment area.

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The petitioner sought for the removal of the statue and to restore the Picket Public Garden to its original place. The counsel for the petitioner argued that the actions of authorities were in violation to the orders of Supreme court and sought for initiation of disciplinary proceedings against the authorities for misuse of Cantonment public funds. The counsel for the petitioner argued that nearly 13 acres of the Public Garden had already been encroached upon, and the addition of statues of political leaders would create substantial inconvenience for local residents.

He further argued that the nearby slum areas were already deprived of adequate space for children to play, and placing the statues would likely result in the park being used for political gatherings, particularly on occasions like birthdays and death anniversaries. Furthermore, he expressed concerns that other political parties might demand statues of their own leaders, potentially disrupting the peace and infringing on the rights of the local community.

On the other hand, the Additional Solicitor General Narasimha Sharma and Deputy Solicitor General Gadi Praveen Kumar argued that the petitioner lacked the legal standing to challenge the installation and requested that the petition be dismissed in its entirety. In addition, the government counsels contended that the installation of the statue would not only beautify the public garden but would also bring no harm or inconvenience to the public. They clarified that while permission had been granted for the statue in 2022, the project had been delayed due to the passing of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Drawing attention to the Supreme Court’s previous rulings, the counsel noted that the court’s concerns regarding the installation of statues were primarily tied to those based on caste and religion, and stressed that the proposed statue of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, a former Prime Minister who brought global recognition to India was essential for educating future generations about his monumental contributions. Hearing the same, the bench dismissed the case.