Bombay High Court seeks report from Maharashtra government, all civic bodies on steps taken against illegal hoardings

Bombay High Court. File Photo

The Bombay High Court on Monday directed the Maharashtra government and all civic bodies and district councils to submit a report on steps taken against illegal hoardings and banners in the state.

In 2016, the high court had directed the state government and all municipal corporations to ensure no illegal hoardings are put up in public places and asked the authorities to submit compliance reports.

A division bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice V G Bisht on Monday noted that the last report was submitted in 2018.

"Four years have passed. We want an updated report from the state government and commissioners of all municipal corporations and chief officers of all district councils on steps taken against illegal hoardings and banners," the court said, while posting the matter for further hearing on June 30.

The HC was hearing a bunch of public interest litigations on the issue of illegal banners, hoardings and posters put up by political parties across the state, which, according to the pleas, defaced public places.

Chief Justice Datta, in a lighter vein, said he saw a movie in which the police, while trying to solve a crime, were looking at CCTV footage.

"Just in the nick of time, when the crime takes place, a man holds up a hoarding in front of the CCTV camera," Chief Justice Datta said.

The court also sought to know how authorities identify which hoarding is legal and which is illegal, and how much revenue is generated from legal hoardings.

The HC also permitted the petitioners to issue notice to the political parties that have been named as respondents in the pleas.

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.