The High Court of Madras has categorically said that it can’t interfere with the decision taken by Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker Dhanapal in unveiling a portrait of former chief-minister J. Jayalalithaa within the Assembly’s premises.

Jayalalithaa’s huge portrait was unveiled in the Assembly a few days back amid opposition to this by DMK and other opposition parties. Speaker unveiled the portrait in the presence of chief-minister Edapadi K. Palaniswami and deputy chief-minister O. Panneerselvam. DMK moved the High Court against the unveiling of the portrait and its petition was taken up for interrogation by Chief Justice Indira Banerjee.

The Chief Justice ruled that the Court can’t interfere with the decision of the Speaker to unveil the former chief-minister’s portrait within the Assembly premises.  “If people think that the unveiling of the former chief-minister’s portrait was a blunder, the same would be echoed at the time when the next Assembly polls are held,” the Judge added.

“The Court can interfere only if it believed that the issue involves breach of individual liberty. The Court has taken up the disqualification of 18 MLAs by the Speaker as it involved individual liberty of the MLAs,” the ruling said and postponed the next hearing in the case and other cases relating to operating welfare schemes in the name of the former chief-minister to 02nd March (this Friday).