CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has rejected a petition seeking Bharat Ratna for the late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa. The bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice M Sundar also declined to dictate the Central government authorities over conferring India's highest civilian honour to Amma.
While hearing the PIL filed by KK Ramesh, the bench also made it clear that deciding on conferring such honours was on the realm of the committee concerned and that courts could not issue directions even to consider representations. Ramesh had cited an earlier order of another division bench which had asked the authority to consider representations demanding the award for Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. In his petition, he said Jaya was three time chief minister of Tamil Nadu and that she had implemented several welfare schemes such as low cost canteens, free laptops and bicycles for students to ease the suffering of poor people.
The Tamil Nadu Cabinet has also decided to recommend the late AIADMK supremo for the award. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam had even met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi to hand over a letter requesting the government to bestow the Bharat Ratna on Jayalalithaa, and install a bronze statue in the Parliament complex. "A resolution was adopted in the Cabinet to recommend to the Centre to award Bharat Ratna to Jayalalithaa," an official statement had said.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has dismissed petitions filed by rebel AIADMK MP Sasikala Pushpa and a youth organisation seeking an order for a CBI investigation into the death of the former leader, warning it would fine them if they pressed the plea further. A bench of Justices PC Ghose and Rohinton F Nariman said, "What are we supposed to do here? You have filed a petition under Article 32 (violation of fundamental rights of citizens by the State) of the Constitution. We will dismiss these petitions and if you press it further, we will impose costs on you."
