Why no policy to ensure political leaders don’t put their faces on illegal hoardings: Bombay HC to state govt

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The Bombay High Court Thursday questioned the state government why it cannot adopt a policy to ensure political leaders do not put photographs of their faces on illegal hoardings.
The court questioned the state after its counsel submitted that there were difficulties in monitoring illegal hoardings and the government is trying to find alternative ways instead of a complete ban on hoardings or banners, including specific regularised zones for putting them up to curb the menace.
The bench reiterated that it wanted to see the report on non-compliance of court orders regarding illegal hoardings and banners being put up across the state by political parties.
Terming it an “alarming situation”, the bench on June 16 had asked the Maharashtra government to give an independent report within six weeks on steps taken against non-compliance of orders on illegal banners, hoardings, posters, arches and advertisements.
The court had also asked the state government, civic bodies and petitioners to suggest what deterrent actions can be taken and directions passed against members of political parties erecting such structures such that it will “nip the menace of illegal hoardings in its bud”.
A division bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Makarand S Karnik has been hearing pleas, including a contempt plea initiated by the High Court on its own, claiming non-compliance of its 2017 orders to pull down illegal hoardings and that political parties are flouting the order everyday and defacing public places.
On Thursday, Additional Government Pleader Bhupesh V Samant for the state sought more time to file a reply, after which the bench sought to know if there was any improvement or positive changes after the last order and how the government proposed to deal with the issue.
Samant responded that instead of totally banning hoardings, the government can regularise them only in specific areas similar to parking zones. He said there were difficulties in completely curbing illegal hoardings as people kept on trying different ways to put them up and municipal personnel have been assaulted and there are insufficient police personnel to enforce compliance.
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