CHENNAI: Courts in TN and Puducherry can display portraits of only Gandhiji and the Tamil poet-saint Thiruvalluvar, the Madras high court has said.

In a circular to all district courts, the registrar-general of the high court also instructed the Kancheepuram principal district judge to persuade the Bar association at Alandur to remove portraits of B R Ambedkar from the entrance hall of the newly-constructed combined court complex.
The issue pertains to representations received from various advocate associations seeking permission to unveil portraits of Ambedkar and senior advocates of the association concerned.

In a meeting conducted on April 11, the full bench of the high court rejected all such requests. Listing out various resolutions passed by the full court meeting in this regard, the circular pointed out that in the meeting held on March 11, 2010, while observing that there have been incidents in which damage has been caused to the statutes of national leaders, resulting in friction as well as law and order situation in different places… the full court resolved not to permit erection of any more statues on court campuses.
Similarly, on April 27, 2013, the full court directed the Kancheepuram principal district judge to persuade the Alandur Court Lawyers Association to remove the portrait of Ambedkar and rejected the request of Cuddalore Bar to display his picture in the newly-constituted special courts, the circular said.
“Very recently, on April 11 the full court considered a similar request and reiterated all the earlier resolutions and unanimously resolved that except the statues and portraits of Gandhi and Thiruvalluvar, no other portraits and pictures shall be displayed anywhere inside the court premises,” the circular added.
The registrar-general directed that in case of any deviation, action shall be taken by giving suitable complaint to the Bar Council of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.