Madras HC restrains parties from erecting digital banners on roadsides
What's the story
The Madras High Court today restrained political parties from erecting digital banners on roadsides across Tamil Nadu till further orders. A division bench of Justices M Sathyanarayanan and P Rajamanickam issued the interim order while hearing a contempt petition by social activist 'Traffic' Ramasamy seeking to punish officials for 'failure' to implement the court orders against unauthorized banners. Read the details here.
Reason
The banners obstruct pedestrians, said the bench
Unless the state government and local bodies come 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, all political parties shall not put up any digital banner on the sides of the roads across the state till further orders, the bench said. These banners obstruct pedestrians, it said.
Information
Court expresses displeasure over unjustified reasons given by authorities
The bench said such banners distract the road users, especially two-wheeler riders. During the hearing of the contempt plea yesterday, the court had expressed displeasure over the unjustified reasons given by authorities in the past five years for failing to implement court orders regarding unauthorized-banners.