A high court division bench led by Chief Justice Sujoy Paul has sought a report from the state on whether the statues of Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona in Lake Town have been erected on government land in alleged violation of norms.
The bench on Tuesday directed the urban development department and South Dum Dum Municipality to explain the reason behind the construction of the statues and whether the constructions violated the area’s master plan.
The direction was issued during the hearing of a PIL that alleged the statues had come up on government land in contravention of a Supreme Court order. The petitioner argued that in 2010, the apex court barred the construction of any structure, including statues, on public land if it could potentially obstruct public movement.
The 70-foot Messi statue on VIP Road was virtually unveiled by the legend on December 13. The World Cup replica held by the statue is eight feet high, taller than Messi himself. The installation has drawn criticism, especially on social media, with users commenting on its lack of resemblance to the footballer.
The Maradona statue, also in Lake Town, was unveiled by Maradona himself during his visit to Calcutta in 2017.
Both statues are projects of Sujit Bose, state fire and emergency services minister, Trinamool MLA, and chief organiser of the Durga Puja at Sreebhumi Sporting Club.
Hearing the PIL filed by advocate Arunangshu Chakraborty, the court granted the respondents three weeks to submit their affidavits and scheduled the matter for further hearing after four weeks.
Tapan Mukherjee, counsel for the urban development department, told Metro: “We have not yet received the court order... We will gather all details and inform the court in due course.”