Supreme Court dismisses challenge to Pen monument project

The Supreme Court declines to entertain a challenge to the DMK government’s off-shore ‘pen’ monument project in memory of the late Chief Minister and DMK leader, M. Karunanidhi

The Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to entertain a challenge to the DMK government’s off-shore Pen monument project in memory of the late Chief Minister and DMK leader, M. Karunanidhi.

A Bench headed by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul allowed the petitioners, Nallathambi, appearing for fishermen, and former Fisheries Minister in the AIADMK government, D. Jayakumar, to withdraw their case.

Senior advocate P. Wilson, appearing for the Tamil Nadu government, argued that the petition was devoid of any merits. He submitted that coastal regulation clearance had been obtained for the memorial. The senior lawyer said there was no harm done to the fishing community in the area. He said the petition was politically motivated.

The petition had argued that the icon would affect the livelihood of the traditional fishing community and harm the coastal ecosystem.

“The coastal ecosystem is highly threatened, encountering pollution, siltation and erosion, flooding, saltwater intrusion, and storm surges. NCCR (National Centre for Coastal Research) has found that from 1990 to 2016, 33% of India’s coastline witnessed erosion, with the majority of it seen along the east coast facing the Bay of Bengal. Tamil Nadu, with 42.7% of its coast suffering erosion, ranks fourth in India,” it contended.

The petitioners noted that the proposed project was estimated at ₹81 crore, and would cover a total area of 8,551.13 sq. m, consisting of “Pen Pedestal above sea, Pedestrian Pathway above sea, Lattice Bridge above beach and land, Pedestrian Pathway above beach, Pedestrian Pathway from Dr. Karunanidhi (Former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu) memorial to bridge above beach”.

In July, a Supreme Court Bench headed by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud dismissed another petition challenging the project.