Karnataka High Court notice to government on plea seeking reinstallation of Parashurama statue at theme park near Karkala

The High Court of Karnataka ordered the issuance of a notice to the State government on Tuesday in response to a PIL petition seeking a direction to the authorities to reconstruct and reinstall the statue of Lord Parashurama at the Parashurama theme park, at Bailur, Karkala taluk, Udupi district.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice C.M. Joshi passed the order on the petition filed by Uday Shetty Muniyal, a resident of Varanga in Udupi district.

The court ordered issuance of notice after the petitioner deposited ₹5 lakh with the court’s registry as a contribution towards raising the statute.

The petitioner has sought a direction to the authorities to consider his representation for reconstructing and reinstalling the statue of Lord Parashurama at the theme park by issuing a fresh tender and engaging a reputed sculptor.

A 33-foot statue of Lord Parashurama, installed at the park in February 2023, was dismantled after a few months due to its improper alignment. An issue was also raised regarding whether it was made of bronze as claimed. However, the issue was put to rest after the National Institute of Technology, Karnataka, certified the metal used.

The theme park had also become a political issue between the BJP and the Congress Party over the amount spent quality of the statue and amount spent for it. The sculptor of the statue, Krishna Naik, had faced inquiry over alleged shoddy work of the earlier statue.