New Delhi, 13 January (H.S.): The Supreme Court refused to entertain a petition seeking the removal of Veer Savarkar's portrait from Parliament's Central Hall and other public places on Tuesday. A retired officer named Balasundaram filed the public interest litigation, which the bench dismissed as frivolous.

During the hearing, the court reprimanded the petitioner for wasting its valuable time with such an absurd plea. The bench, comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M. Pancholi, warned of imposing a fine of one lakh rupees.

Observing the court's stance, Balasundaram withdrew the petition. The justices advised him to contribute meaningfully to society during retirement instead of pursuing such matters.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar