'Caste Has No Real Existence Except In People's Minds': Madras High Court Declines Permission For Statue Over Caste Concerns

The Madras High Court recently lamented that instead of focusing on real and tangible things in life, people are focusing on non-existent things like caste, which do not have any existence than in the minds of people. Justice Bharatha Chakravarthy made the observations while noting that the state authorities in Ramanathapuram District had denied permission for installing a statue of freedom fighter Veerapandiya Kattabomman on the ground that the people were seeking the erection of a statue for caste consolidation “When people forgetting everything else, which are the real and tangible things in life, such as the freedom fighters fighting with great valor to save this country, etc, but remembering and considering only the non-existent thing called 'caste', which doesn't have a shape, color, odour or any existence except the existence in the minds of the people, sadly, the authorities are being forced to pass such order to refuse permission to install a statue,” the court said. The court was hearing a petition filed by Kumarasamy against an order passed by the District Collector rejecting permission to erect a statue of Veerapandiya Kattabomman. While the court noted that such a prayer would never be rejected, considering Kattabomman was a great freedom fighter and hero to everyone, the court also noted that in the present case, permission was denied only on the ground that the petitioner and his caste people are tracing casteism to the leader. The court noted that in the impugned order, the authorities had cited with pain that the erection of statues and memorials of the great leaders who fought for the freedom of the country were now taking a caste consolidation. The court noted that everyone had duty under constitution to create a casteless egalitarian society which cannot be forgotten and when the authorities had passed this order keeping in mind this duty, it cannot be interfered with. The court also noted that the Government had already built a memorial in Pachalangurichi, Thoothukudi District and the petitioners were not prevented from paying their respects to the great freedom fighter at that site. Thus, the court refused to interfere with the order of the authorities and dismissed the plea. Counsel for Petitioner: Mr. E. V. N. Siva Counsel for Respondents: Mr. M. Lingadurai Special Government Pleader, Mr. K. Gnanasekaran Government Advocate (Crl. Side) Case Title: S Kumarasamy v The Additional Chief Secretary and Others Citation: 2026 LiveLaw (Mad) 124 Case No: W.P(MD)No. 6601 of 2026Click Here To Read/Download The Judgment

'Caste Has No Real Existence Except In People's Minds': Madras High Court Declines Permission For Statue Over Caste Concerns

Upasana Sajeev

Tags