SC allows withdrawal of plea against Savarkar portraits in public buildings, places

The Supreme Court on Tuesday (January 13, 2026) allowed a retired civil servant to withdraw his petition seeking the removal of the portrait of Hindutva ideologue V.D. Savarkar from public buildings, including the Parliament.

A Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant criticised the petitioner, a Chennai-based former Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer, B. Balamurugan, for wasting the time of the court with such “frivolous petitions”.

Mr. Balamurugan insisted that his petition was filed in public interest.

The court initially gave the petitioner a choice of either withdrawing his plea or face costs of ₹1 lakh. The petitioner chose the latter. The CJI asked the petitioner about his career in the services, and whether he had faced any corruption charges.  The CJI said such petitions revealed the “mindset” behind them.