SERMATHURAI Vs. STATE OF TAMIL NADU

JUDGEMENT

(1.) WP.(MD)No.3404 of 2021 has been filed to issue a writ of mandamus, directing the respondents to fix the criteria for conferring Kalaimamani Award by the Tamil Nadu Eyal Isai Nataka Mandram, on the basis of the recommendation made by the eminent persons of the Expert Committee to be constituted, by considering the petitioner's representation dtd. 15/12/2020, within a time to be stipulated by this court.

(2.) Since common issue is involved in both the writ petitions, they were heard together and are disposed of by this order.

(3.) According to the petitioner in W.P.(MD)No.3404 of 2021, he is a Villupattu artiste (Folk music) and his sister by name Velkani received the Kalaimamani Award in the year 1994 and they have been performing various programmes at the state and national level. The petitioner further averred that every year, the Government of Tamil Nadu and the Tamil Nadu Eyal Isai Nataka Manram confer the Kalaimamani Award to the persons, who are eminent in the realm of culture. However, without following any norms and procedure, they have selected the awardees, on their own and at the instance of influential persons. It is also stated that in order to encourage the artistes, the Department of Art and Culture formulated a scheme of awards to the eminent artistes in each District from the year 2002-2003 according to their age and eminence in arts. But, no such guidelines were formulated insofar as the Kalaimamani Award is concerned. Further, by order dtd. 9/8/2019 in WP(MD) No.17120 of 2019, a learned Judge of this court has observed that at least in future, the Tamil Nadu Eyal Isai Nataka Manram consider the applications received by them from artistes of various art fields for conferment of Kalaimamani Award with due deliberations and discussions and make recommendations on time, so as to avoid the burden of considering 100s' of Artistes for such awards at one stretch by the Manram and the State Government. Even thereafter, the said order was not considered by the respondent authorities and they selected the persons from different cultural fields in a hurried manner and attempted to award them, without adhering to the eligibility criteria. Though the petitioner sent a representation dtd. 15/12/2020 requesting the respondent authorities to constitute an Expert Committee and fix the criteria for selection and presentation of the award to the deserving Artistes, till date, no steps have been taken on the same. Therefore, this writ petition viz., WP(MD).No. 3404 of 2021.