The Madras High Court has directed the bank officials to hand over the gold armour of statute of the famed freedom fighter Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar to the DRO (District Revenue Officer) of Ramnad District for the upcoming Thevar Jayanthi Celebrations 2022.

The bench of Justice V. Bhavani Subbaroyan also directed that DRO shall safeguard the said gold armour (Kavasam) and shall redeposit the same into the Bank after the ceremony is over.

The said gold armour was gifted by the then Chief Minister and General Secretary of the petitioner party Dr.J.Jayalalithaa. The petitioner is the treasurer of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.

The petitioner submitted that every year in the months of September and October the petitioner party makes all arrangements to take the gold armour from the locker and deposit the same back into the locker upon the conclusion of the birth anniversary of Thiru. Muthuramalinga Thevar by 1st November every year.

The petitioner submitted that the birthday of Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar falls on October 30, 2022. He submitted that the gold armour will be adorned to Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar statue at his memorial in Pasumpon Ramanathapuram District from October 28, 2022 to October 30, 2022. Hence, he said that as a treasurer it will be appropriate to hand over the gold armour containing 13 kgs, to him along with the custodian of Pasumpon Thevar Ninaivalayam based on the records maintained by the Election Commission of India.

Since the respondents refused to permit the petitioner's party and the third respondent to operate the joint account AIADMK and Pasumpon Thevar Ninaivalayam to take the 13 kg gold armour for this year Thevar Jayanthi, hence, the petitioner has filed the writ petition.

Senior Counsel Vijay Narayanan appeared for the writ petitioner.

The Court observed that "Having regard to the contentions made by writ petitioner A party in his prayer and the objection raised by the impleading petitioner B party and on perusal of the deed of MoU between AIADMK party represented by the then treasurer of B party and the third respondent/ fourth respondent wherein it has been incorporated that during Thevar Guru Pooja the gold armour (Kavasam) that was donated by the then Chief Minister and General Secretary of AIADMK party before faction to the trust under the deposit and custody of first respondent Bank. As per the clause in MoU both the trusurer and the third respondent would operate the account and receive gold armour from the Bank together to be adorned during the ceremony."

The Court observed that the adorning of gold armour on the deity (Guru Pooja) should not be stopped merely because there is a dispute between two factions of AIADMK.

The Court directed the DRO of Ramnad District to receive the armour from the Bank and take it to the venue of celebration. The Court also directed the DRO to safeguard the said gold armour (Kavasam) and to redeposit the same into the Bank after the ceremony is over.

The Court further directed the Superintendent of Police, Ramnad District to provide adequate police protection while receiving the armour by the trust and DRO from the Bank and to protect the same till it is adorned and redeposited into the bank.

Cause Title- W.M.P(MD)No.18242 of 2022

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Madras High CourtJustice V. Bhavani Subbaroyan

Ashish Shaji