Tamil Nadu govt gets go-ahead for Jaya memorial

CHENNAI: Madras High Court had dismissed a petition seeking to restrain the Tamil Nadu government from constructing a memorial for late chief minister J Jayalalithaa at Marina Beach in Chennai. Referring to petitioner ML Ravi's claim that Jaya was convicted in a disproportionate assets case, a division bench of Justice M Sathyanarayanan and P Rajamanickam submitted that the Supreme Court in its February 14, 2017 judgment, had abated the charges against her in view of her passing. Earlier, the Tamil Nadu government had opposed the plea, citing the same reason, adding that it could not be construed as conviction. The memorial to be constructed at an estimated cost of £5.08 million, will resemble a phoenix to depict Jayalalithaa in her cinematic and political life. It includes a 15 metre tall monument, a museum and a knowledge park, surrounded by landscaped gardens and two roaring lions at the entrance.