“No coastal regulations have been breached/violated in setting up a Memorial for former State Chief-Minister J. Jayalalithaa on the Marina,” a petition filed by the Govt. of Tamil Nadu with the High Court of Madras says.

The reply petition was filed in response to a notice served on it by the High Court while taking up a petition challenging the Govt.’s decision to set up a grand Memorial for the former chief-minister who passed away under mysterious circumstances late on the night of 05th December, 2016.,

The Edapadi K. Palaniswami-led AIADMK regime in the State has decided to renovate the make-shift Memorial of the AIADMK’s ‘permanent general secretary’ at a whopping cost of Rs.50 crores. Social activist ‘Traffic’ Ramaswamy had moved the High Court stating that setting up Jayalalithaa’s Memorial insides MGR’s existing Memorial was against stipulations of coastal construction regulations and demanded a ban on it.

The petition said that keeping in view the Act governing coastal construction, no structure should be set up within 500 metres from the coast and demanded shifting of MGR and Annathurai’ s existing memorials.

“As MGR and Annathurai’s Memorials had been erected before the Act came into force in 1991, there is no need to shift/remove them. There won’t be any violations or breach of existing regulations in setting up Jayalalithaa’s Memorial,” the Govt. said.