SC notice to Centre, TN government on illegal banners

A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi sought the response within six weeks on the petition filed by a charitable trust ‘In Defence of Environment and Animals’ and asked as to why the plea should not be kept open, enabling the Madras High Court to monitor the developments in the case.    

“Issue notice, fixing a returnable date within six weeks, to show cause as to why the writ petition should not be kept open to enable the High Court to monitor the developments that may take place in the subject matter from time to time,” the bench, also comprising Justice SK Kaul, said.The plea had sought preventing encroachments via religious symbols and political graffiti, advertisements by private parties on natural resources like mountains, hills, hillocks, avenue trees and on national and state highways. 

The Madras High Court had on December 19 last, issued an interim order restraining political parties from putting up digital banners on pavements unless the state government and local bodies came out with a clear undertaking that the rules and various orders passed by the court would be strictly implemented and no violation would take place.

The court while passing the orders had said such banners distracted the road users, especially two-wheeler riders and obstructed pedestrians.

The High Court had expressed its displeasure over the unjustified reasons given by authorities in the past five years for failing to implement court orders regarding unauthorised banners.