Case booked against Shamshabad's Statue of Equality for violating Legal Metrology Act

Hyderabad: Vinay Vangala, a social activist from Hyderabad visited the Statue of Equality, located in Muchintal here, and bought a prasad packet. He noticed that there were no manufacturing and expiry dates on the packet. The weight was also not mentioned on the cover. He filed a complaint which led to a case being booked against the Statue of Equality for violating provisions of the Legal Metrology Act 2009.

Vinay wrote an email to the Controller of Legal Metrology (weights and measures), Telangana. He attached photos of the prasad packet and wrote, "I would like to register a complaint against the Statue of Equality situated at Muchintal for not showing the weight, manufacturing and expiry dates, and quantity on the prasad packets." He also requested the legal metrology department to book a case and impose a heavy penalty for flouting rules.

Based on his complaint, the legal metrology department visited and inspected the temple premises. "During the course of the inspections, a case has been registered for violation of sections 10,11,12, and 8/25 of the Legal Metrology Act 2009," read the letter from the assistant controller, legal metrology, Ranga Reddy zone.

The Statue of Equality is a 216-feet statue of Vaishnavite saint Sri Ramanujacharya that was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 5 February in Shamshabad in Hyderabad.

The statue is located on the 45-acre scenic Jeeyar Integrated Vedic Academy (JIVA) at Muchintal near Shamshabad and was built to mark the 1000th birth anniversary of Saint Ramanujacharya. It is the world's second tallest statue in a seated position, the first being the Buddha statue in a sitting pose in Thailand.

Saint Ramanujacharya, born in SriPerumbudur in Tamil Nadu, was a Vedic philosopher and social reformer. At a time when people from many sections of society were forbidden to enter temples, Ramanujacharya opened temple doors to all people, especially to those who faced extreme discrimination.

Citizens can raise complaints for unfair trade practices on this email address for Telangana State- clm-ts@nic.in